I stepped in behind Knut as we entered the Glowroot Caverns through the gaping hole in the ground and proceeded into a narrow passage. The air cooled and had a subtle dampness to it that clung to my skin, seeping right through my armor. Above and around us, pale blue-green roots hung from the ceiling and stuck from the walls, emitting a soft glow that allowed us to see just enough not to stumble over our own feet.

  The cavern was a mix of rough stone walls and dirt, seeming to have formed naturally. The sounds echoing and thrumming all around us were subtle, with a strange, almost imperceptible hum that seemed to come from the glowing roots themselves.

  “Imagine what we could forge with these roots," Roq said. “A sword that glows in darkness, revealing itself only when drawn from its sheath. Think of the terror on a House Domitius thug's face when you pull out a blade made of pure light in a darkened room. The way that light bounces off the grin on your face and when he knows that death is near…ohh, the joy! It’s almost as good as watching a glowcap explode!"

  "Are you suggesting I need a backup weapon?"

  "Backup weapon? Pah!" Roq scoffed. "I'm merely providing an example of creative application. Swords are the only weapons drawn dramatically from sheaths, thus creating the most impressive light-revealing effect. I'm thinking tactically about intimidation, not suggesting you'd ever need anything but me."

  "Daggers can be drawn from sheaths, too. Arrows from quivers, same with bolts. Spears, too, and--”

  "Please. A dagger is about as intimidating as a toothless Shardfang. You might as well threaten someone with a butter knife, as for the rest, come on, now you’re just trying to annoy me."

  I couldn't help but chuckle at that.

  "What's so funny?" Nabeeh asked where she walked behind me, her voice carrying over our breathing and footsteps in the quiet passage.

  "Just thinking about how someone's definitely going to make drinks and dishes from these roots once we bring them back," I said, covering for my conversation with Roq. "People love consuming weird stuff. Might as well capitalize on it, right?"

  Nabeeh laughed.

  "Oh, absolutely. Remember the merchant who tried brewing tea from Glowcap spores? Alex told me he had to heal him five times in two days and he’s still afraid of using the outhouse. We humans will ingest literally anything on a dare. Or because we’re too curious for our own good."

  The tunnel sloped downward, and Knut led the way. His shield occasionally scraped against the wall, sending small showers of stone dust falling to the floor. We remained quiet after that for a few good minutes, listening for any sounds.

  The cavern began to branch, with smaller tunnels splitting off from the main passage. Some were barely large enough for a person to crawl through, while others were wide enough for us to walk two abreast. Each was illuminated to varying degrees by the glowing roots, some brighter than others.

  We cleared each as we went, finding nothing in any of them.

  “That side tunnel is empty," Roq commented as we came to yet another opening. "No monsters lurking in the shadows there."

  "You sure about that?" I asked, eyeing the dimly lit chamber which contained only a few small roots.

  "Of course I'm sure. What do you take me for? An asshole that wants to get you all killed?”

  We continued forward, and despite the tall ceilings, the tunnels narrowed even further, forcing us to proceed in a single line with Knut holding his shield out in front of him. Just as he was about to step into an especially tight section, Roq's voice suddenly rang out in my mind.

  "STOP!"

  "Hold up, Knut,” I said immediately, leaning forward to hook his armored shoulder with Roq.

  Knut turned, eyebrows raised.

  "Problem?"

  "I'm... not sure," I replied.

  "What is it, Roq?"

  "Let me get a better look. Hold me out past Knut."

  I stepped forward and extended Roq past Knut's shoulder, pointing him toward the narrowing passage ahead.

  "The rock formation looks wrong, up ahead on the right,” Roq said. "And I know rock. I am Roq, after all. I am the Roq. Well, metal, but my name sounds like rock. Get it?”

  “Of course. I got it at once.”

  "Eryn," I said, turning to look back at her, "Can you put an armor-piercing arrow into that rock formation up ahead? Something about it doesn't feel right."

  She nodded without hesitation, nocking an arrow and drawing her bow. We all leaned left and made room for her. She stepped aside to have a better aim, and then loosed the projectile. It hit the stone and ricocheted off, sparks flying in all directions.

  "Huh," I shrugged. "Maybe it's nothing. Let's—"

  "Wait," Nabeeh interrupted, stepping forward. "I want to try something too. Just in case.” She raised her staff. "Immolation.”

  Fire lit up along the suspicious rock formation, outlining a distinctly humanoid shape and illuminating the entire passage in harsh orange light. The monster had been perfectly camouflaged against the cavern wall and hidden from our eyes.

  With a sound that resembled grinding stone, the golem detached itself from the wall, its burning form filling the narrow passage. It let out a humming rumble and took a step toward Knut.

  "Rock Golem!" Knutsaid, raising his shield and taking a step forward to create more space.

  "Rather on-the-nose naming, I must say,” Nabeeh chuckled. “But damn, it’s a yellow threat!"

  The golem was a jagged, rough-hewn approximation of a human, with mineral growths jutting out from its stony body. Small segments of now burned glowing roots and sections of thick brush were smoking. Small tree-like growths stuck out from its shoulders and head, with even more glowing roots poking through cracks in its rocky exterior. Behind it, three similar figures slowly detached from the walls. We could barely see them as the first golem took up most of the space.

  "My arrows won't penetrate that," Eryn said with a hint of panic. "I'll back up and hold off unless I see a weak spot."

  "Fire doesn't seem to be doing much damage either," Nabeeh observed as the flames on the first golem began to sputter out. "It's barely damaged. Not even the glowing roots managed to catch fire.”

  "Looks like it's up to you two," Eryn said.

  Knut grinned, shaking his shield.

  "Roq versus rock. Good match." He looked back at me. "I tank, you break. When I move, you strike."

  I nodded.

  “Good a plan as any. Let’s go.”

  The narrow tunnel worked in our favor, forcing the golems to approach one at a time. The lead golem lumbered closer, the ground trembling slightly between each of its steps. It raised one massive arm, stone grinding against stone as it tried to strike but its arm barely had enough room to move.

  Knut darted in, cracking his mace at the golem’s arm, chipping away at the rock. Then he raised his shield, and the fist came down with tremendous force. It knocked him sideways, his shoulder hitting the wall, but he’d deflected most of the power.

  "Ha! Good hit!" Knut laughed, seemingly enjoying the challenge.

  He swung again, knocking away chunks of stone from the golem's midsection. The golem punched out, and Knut ducked below its strike, snapping his mace into the same spot.

  “Tough. Need hammer,” Knut said. “Prepare.”

  When the golem struck again, Knut deflected the blow to the side, putting his entire weight to trap the arm between his shield and the wall, leaning against it.

  It opened him up for attack by the golem’s other fist, but I darted into the space behind him.

  “Armor Break.”

  Roq glowed red and we obliterated the golem’s arm as it prepared to punch for Knut. The monster stumbled backwards, colliding with the golem behind it, and I retreated, giving Knut the space to defend.

  "Trying a Fire Trap,” Nabeeh said.

  A column of fire erupted at the feet of the second golem, but when the flames cleared, it still stood there, glaring, and unaffected aside from a slight layer of soot on its front.

  "Save your mana," I called back to her. "We've got this."

  After Knut created another opening, I activated Smash and went low, attacking the golem's knee, shattering it and sending cracks spiderwebbing up the leg. The creature stumbled down to its knees, and I retreated.

  With Knut and the golem equally tall, the battle fell into a rhythm with Knut tanking the golem's still powerful but slowing attacks, occasionally striking back to keep its attention, then creating an opening for me to dart in and deliver a powerful blow before retreating. I hit its head, shoulder, and neck, each without destroying it.

  "Aim for its chest next time. I sensed something in there. Like a quartz deposit," Roq advised as Knut attacked. "I want to test their structural integrity for future creative endeavors.”

  “Future endeavors? What are you--” I was about to say when he cut me off.

  “For science, if you will."

  I stored my shield to get more power, and the next time Knut stepped aside, I slammed Roq into its chest, and cracks shot outwards from the impact point. This time, instead of stepping back, I hammered again, and stone fell from its chest to reveal white crystals. I hurriedly jammed Roq into it, and it was like cutting the threads on a doll, with the golem going limp, slowly falling forward.

  “You may thank me in pounds of pie.”

  Knut and I both jumped away, nearly stumbling into each other.

  “Good strike!” he said as I scrambled back to give him the space.

  As the second golem approached, Knut's mace began to glow. He swung his empowered attack into the monster’s chest, just as it was about to try and climb over the other golem, and the chest cracked apart, revealing white geodes.

  The monster reached for Knut and managed to grab his mace arm. Metal groaned as its fist tightened around his armor, and Knut struggled to remain standing as it pulled down.

  “Your left!” I said, and Knut shifted, leaving just enough space for me to squeeze in and hammer the Golem in the center of its chest, smashing it to pieces, and killing it.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Thanks,” Knut said as he shook off its limp arm, and we retreated a few steps, resetting.

  We settled into a rhythm, and though the golems landed the occasional blow, Knut weathered them, laughing when a particularly powerful hit sent him staggering.

  "Hit it on the hip where the red iron ore is visible," Roq directed as we faced the third golem. "I want to see if it breaks under impact or if it can withstand a blow."

  I followed his instruction, and the golem split impressively, revealing a core of crystalline structures that shattered under Roq's impact.

  "Fascinating! The crystalline matrix has unusual resonance properties. We should collect samples. Many of them, preferably."

  Finally, the last golem fell to Knut’s mace, crumbling into a pile of rubble as he smashed through its chest, and we stood facing a pile of stone debris, catching our breath.

  “You okay?" I asked Knut before looking back at Eryn and Nabeeh.

  “Fun,” Knut said, removing his helmet and grinning as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

  "Fine, just feeling a bit useless," Eryn admitted with a rueful smile. "My arrows might as well have been toothpicks against those things."

  "Same with my fire," Nabeeh sighed. "Not every monster can be susceptible to every attack type, I suppose. Not that it makes me any less awesome, but you know? Make things go boom is fun."

  “Hah! Exactly! That’s my girl!” Roq cackled in my mind. “Make things go boom. Good choice of words.”

  Knut bent and swiped a golem into his spatial storage.

  "Good teamwork. Went well because face one at time. If many attack at once, different story. They looting us instead."

  I nodded, understanding his point.

  "If they try to swarm us, we’ll retreat. We’re not taking any risks here today.” “True.” Knut's expression softened as he glanced at the girls and then me. "Good spotting, golden bird. Ambush would be bad." He nodded at Eryn and Nabeeh. "If they grabbed girls, might make soup--”

  “We’d get to see just how fast you two can move,” Nabeeh said with a confident smile, “As I’m sure you’d have gallantly rescued us before they could squeeze us to death.”

  Knut nodded, but his eyes remained serious.

  "Even so, good teamwork." He looked down on Roq and winked.

  “I do so love being appreciated for my talents, of which there are too many to even count. You may inform him at your earliest convenience that he may pay me back in milk. Any type will do. I have yet to try goat, horse, and well… anything but cow really.”

  “I will inform him thusly. Though, I’m not dipping you in anything but cow milk.”

  “Fine. There are some interesting ore deposits inside these golems," Roq said as I swiped in a carcass. "We should have Pa chisel them out and melt them down. I believe they could be used in elemental forging."

  “Noted.”

  We continued deeper into the cave system, the glowing roots providing just enough illumination to navigate without too much hassle. The caverns twisted and turned, occasionally opening into small chambers before narrowing again into tight passages. Twice more we encountered groups of Rock Golems, but thanks to Roq's uncanny ability to spot them before they could get us, we were able to dispatch them efficiently and with minimal risk.

  "There!" Roq alerted me as we approached a bend in the tunnel. “Three. Near perfectly camouflaged against that wall."

  I signaled to the others, and we set up a quick trap of our own, with me walking in first, pretending not to have seen them. Once within striking distance, I activated Smash, cracked open the first’s chest, and hammered Roq in again, killing it. Then I flattened myself against the other wall, letting Knut charge in and repeat the same with the second in line, leaving us with only the third golem, which had oddly seemed a bit confused by our attacks.

  The second time, it was Knut who spotted the danger, catching the subtle shift of stone against stone just before we would have walked into another trap. He lunged forward, slamming his mace into what appeared to be just another part of the cavern wall. The "wall" shuddered and broke away, revealing a Rock Golem that Knut immediately engaged.

  "Impressive," I said after we'd defeated it. "How’d you spot that one?"

  Knut shrugged.

  "Shadows wrong, too perfect."

  "I would have seen it too," Roq insisted in my head. "I was just... thinking about something else. Distracted by science if you will. Coming up with ways to give you all a better chance at a long adventuring life."

  "Umm…okay. That’s rather specific. Anything else?" I asked, curious about what could distract him from his usual vigilance.

  "I was contemplating whether we need to add more mass to my hammerhead," Roq said. "Perhaps that's what's needed for the breakthrough. Maybe I am simply too awesome to be contained in my current shape."

  "That seems doubtful," I thought as we continued walking. "Think about Edwin's mentor. He used a spear, and there's much less mass to that."

  “Maybe not if you count the haft,” Roq countered. “Depending on the length, it might be more total mass than me? Might be worth a shot. Add some ten pounds here, and then ten there.”

  "Are you seriously suggesting a wooden haft has more potential to store awesomeness than your current form?" I asked, amused.

  There was a pause.

  "It's... a stretch," Roq admitted reluctantly.

  He grew quiet after that, and we continued our exploration. The narrow tunnel opened into a much larger chamber, and we paused at the entrance, taking a moment to survey the area. The space was well-lit by numerous large root clusters hanging down from the ceiling, casting a soft blue-green glow across the expanse.

  “Pretty,” Knut said. “Dangerous, too. Big room. Lair for big bad monsters?”

  “Imagine having a party down here,” Nabeeh said, slowly waving an arm in front of her. “A series of round tables set around a central firepit.”

  The chamber was roughly circular, perhaps a hundred feet across, with a high domed ceiling from which the luminous roots descended like strange chandeliers.

  “Fire in a cave?” Eryn asked. “Sounds bad for breathing.”

  The floor was relatively flat but dotted with small stalagmites and pools of water that reflected the roots’ light. Several smaller tunnels branched off from the chamber, dark mouths leading deeper into the earth.

  “Wish-wash. In caves this large there are always drafts. And it could be a small fire. More coals than wood. The point is to have heat, so we can wear fancy dresses. And cook meat.”

  “More than a party, this would be a perfect place to set up harvesting operations," Eryn said. "Look at how many root clusters there are. This definitely goes in the report."

  “Fine,” Nabeeh said, her eyes scanning the chamber. “We’ll find another gorgeous cave to have our parties in. After making sure this one’s safe. No more golems hiding around." She turned to me. "Ash? See anything suspicious?"

  I shrugged, squinting into the chamber.

  "I don't see any golems from here."

  “Roq? You’re awfully quiet? Care to chime in?”

  "I was testing you," Roq said. "Don't you see the spiders?"

  "What spiders?"

  My eyes darted in every direction as adrenaline rushed through my system, setting me to high alert.

  "There," Roq directed my attention. "Those pools of shadow. They're not just areas the roots don't illuminate."

  I looked more carefully at what I had assumed were simply darker patches where the light didn't reach. From our position, they looked like ordinary shadows cast by the stalagmites and uneven ceiling.

  "Nabeeh," I said, “Care to toss a Fireball into that shadow patch up there?" I pointed to one of the darker areas in the ceiling near the left edge of the chamber.

  She raised an eyebrow but didn't question me, raising her hands and summoning a ball of flame. With a quick gesture, she sent it hurtling toward the spot I'd indicated.

  The Fireball disappeared into the "shadow" and immediately, the darkness seemed to dissolve as a creature the size of a grown pig with an uncomfortable amount of legs fell from the ceiling, flames covering its body. It hit the ground with a thud and lay still, eight legs curling inward.

  "Deserter's balls!" Nabeeh cursed, her eyes wide. "A Darkweb Spider! How did you know?"

  "I didn't," I admitted. "Just a guess."

  "Thank you.”

  "You're welcome," he replied smugly. "They're stupidly easy to see when you're not affected by darkness."

  "What exactly do you mean by 'they'?" I asked.

  "Oh, did I not mention? There are about a dozen more in there. All hanging from the ceiling, waiting to drop down on unsuspecting prey. That's us, by the way, in case you were wondering."

  “Three bells! There’s more spiders!” I snapped and got into my fighting stance. "Nabeeh, fire enchant Eryn. Knut, step out into the chamber to take their aggro!" I pointed rapidly at various spots on the ceiling. “There, there, and there. Groups of them. About a dozen or so.”Nabeeh's eyes widened, but she quickly cast her enchantment on Eryn's bow as Knut took up his position at the front, shield nearly raised to his chin.

  I stared up at the ceiling, following Roq's directions. Now that I knew what to look for, I could just barely make out the subtle movements of the shadow patches along the ceiling. They were shifting position, converging toward us, but I would never have noticed them without Roq's warning. The darkness was just, well, too dark to see anything.

  "Eryn, Nabeeh—there, there, and there!" I pointed out three of the closest shadows. "They're moving along the ceiling."

  Eryn nocked an arrow and it burst into flame as she drew and released, the fiery projectile striking one of the shadow patches. The darkness dissipated, and another spider screeched as it fell.

  “Hurry,” Knut said, and there was an uncharacteristic tension to his voice.

  "Fire Trap,” Nabeeh said, and a glowing sigil appeared on the stone above. As one of the shadow patches moved over it, the trap triggered, and a column of flames blasted the spider down onto the ground, where its body lay charred and smoking.

  “That one fell funny,” Roq said as the shadows sped up, hurrying across the cavern.

  Eryn continued drawing arrows and hitting spiders, killing two more while Nabeeh cast Immolation on one. The spider ignited like a torch, falling from the ceiling with a shriek and twitching its body.

  Thick webbing shot out from the darkness above, striking Knut’s shield and legs. He struggled against the sticky restraints as one of the spiders dropped directly onto him, its eight legs scrabbling for purchase.

  The massive northerner grunted, fighting both the webbing and the spider.

  "Keep... killing spider!" he managed, letting go of his shield and grabbing the monster by a leg.

  The five remaining spiders dropped down around us in pools of shadow.

  “Trigger the cloak!"

  “With delight.”

  I grabbed it and spun in a circle as the Woodwoven Mantle's Impale ability activated, three poisonous steelhusk spikes shooting from the cloak, each one pushing against me with tremendous force. One struck a spider directly, piercing its body and killing it instantly. The other two spikes found partial marks, wounding two spiders and causing their shadows to flicker and fade.

  Nabeeh cast Flame Breath on the remaining two unwounded ones. They curled up and died, legs crackling in the heat after the cone of fire engulfed them entirely.

  Eryn loosed an arrow at one wounded spider, and I ran over and ended the other with a downward swing.

  “Slightly cannibalistic, but I’ll allow it,” Roq said.

  Meanwhile, Knut had managed to get a grip on the spider attacking him. With a roar of effort, he ripped its head clean off, threw it to the ground, and spat on the twitching corpse.

  "Hate spiders," he growled and struggled against the webbing that still bound him to the floor.

  Nabeeh approached cautiously, the small flame she usually played with held steady in her palm.

  "Hold still," she said, and went on to carefully burn away the webbing. The material sizzled and melted away under the controlled heat, freeing Knut from his bonds.

  “Gratitude,” he said gruffly, flexing his arms once they were free before stepping away and giving a big shiver like a dog shaking off a bath.

  Eryn and I moved among the spider carcasses, storing them in our spatial storage.

  "That one and that one have gems," Roq informed me, directing my attention to two of the larger specimens.

  “Two gems,” I said, moving to those carcasses first, making sure to be the one to store them so they wouldn’t be swapped out for other loot later.

  "Smash me into that one," Roq said, indicating one of the gemmed spiders.

  I obliged, bringing him down on the creature's body when no one was looking directly at me. The carapace cracked under the impact.

  "Fascinating," Roq said. "The chitin is dense but flexible. And there's some kind of light-absorbing substance in their outer layer. That's what creates the shadow effect. I wonder if we could replicate that ourselves. Maybe coat some of our gear in the stuff.”

  “Stealth? You? And are these new monsters like the Screechers were?”

  "No, these are familiar," he said. "That's why I was able to spot them so easily. But I've never gotten to taste them before. Delicious, actually. Crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside. The stone chunks, not so much."

  "Will you be able to… change into your… awesome shape anytime soon?” I asked, thinking about his slightly arachnid other self after seeing these spiders.

  "I don't think so," Roq said, sounding slightly disappointed. "I've been trying to figure it out, but nothing is even remotely close to working. It's not as if the ability is locked. It’s more as if I don’t know how to do it.”

  “But you have done it?”

  “Sure, and Nabeeh has tried teaching you how to say ‘I love you’ in Azbaran ten times so you can surprise Eryn, and you still can’t get it right. Just because you’ve done something once doesn’t mean you can replicate it.”

  “Fine. I hope you figure it out soon, though. A bit of freedom would probably do you good.”

  “Me too. I have yet to kill something in my shape, which is a bit embarrassing.”

  We spent the next hour thoroughly clearing the rest of the large chamber and several side passages, finding no more enemies but plenty of glowing roots. I took the opportunity to hammer through a particularly large root cluster with Roq, who had expressed a desire to "taste" it.

  "Store this piece," he requested after I'd broken off a substantial segment.

  "We have the backpacks to fill after," Nabeeh reminded me, noticing me storing the root piece.

  I just shrugged.

  "I want one, just in case."

  After confirming the area was secure, we went to the one opening in the chamber that seemed to run deeper into the cave system. The passage was narrow and winding, forcing us to proceed in single file. Knut led the way, carving markings on the walls with the butt of his mace to help us find our way back.

  The deeper we went, the more complex and disorienting the cave became. Tunnels split and rejoined, creating a labyrinthine network that would have been impossible to navigate without Knut's markings and Roq’s sense of direction. The sense of the cavern system expanding into a vast, unknown labyrinth was both exciting and unnerving.

  Despite the danger, there was an undeniable thrill to exploring this uncharted territory. The soft glow of the roots turned it from a damp underground cave to subterraneous chambers of adventure.

  "This is what I signed up for when I became an adventurer," Nabeeh said as we entered yet another root-illuminated chamber. "The unknown. The thrill of discovery."

  "And slaying the monsters trying to kill us and everyone we know,” Eryn added dryly, but I saw she was smiling too.

  "How are we supposed to clear out all dangers here?" I asked, peering cautiously into a dark pit we'd nearly fallen into. "This place is massive, and these hidden drops are everywhere."

  "We take our time," Nabeeh said. "Go slow, be methodical. I'm full on mana, we've all got mind gems, food, and plenty of spatial storage space for more gems." She grinned, her teeth gleaming in the blue-green light. "I'm happy to keep killing spiders as long as they give us gems.”“Prefer golems,” Knut said. “Spiders? Yuck.”