"Are we dead?"

  Roharu sighs and facepalms. "Vixen, you wouldn't be talking if we were dead."

  "How do you know? Have you ever died before?" I peek around his shoulder. Katsuro cracks his whip against the stone floor and the creature scrapes its hooves in retaliation. It is smaller than that krvak and much smaller than the beast from earlier, but what it cks in height, it makes up for in sheer ugliness. Six rge yellow eyes on its pale green body reminiscent of vomit after too many cold ones after bingeing on tacos. Patches of fur are missing along its torso and there is a scar in the shape of an X in the front.

  "No, I have never died before and I do not pn to anytime soon," Roharu says. His shadows move on the walls and slither closer to the beast. It leaps at Katsuro with its fangs bared. The hall is too small for Katsuro to evade, but with a flick of his wrist, the whip wraps around the beast's protruded mouth.

  "That's it!" Chloe cheers. She jumps and shakes me. "See, I knew Katsuro can handle it."

  "But he isn't handling it," I point out. Katsuro is thrown into the ceiling and the dust settles around us. I rub my eyes. Why isn't there any dust on us?

  Oh. Roharu must have shielded us with his shadows.

  "Well.... I also told him not to rush into things," Chloe quips. "Roharu? Can't you help him out?"

  Roharu's ears twitch, so I know he heard Chloe, but he ignores her and continues to watch the battle pan out.

  "I don't need that fox's help!" Katsuro compins as he struggles to his feet. The beast kicks its hooves again and bends its head as though it wants to charge. Something about those eyes is freaking me out. "Stay out of this! This is my fight." Katsuro flexes his cws and charges at the beast. He pces one hand on the top of its mouth and uses that movement to propel himself forward. Katsuro sinks his cws into its back and the beast yowls in pain. I cover my ears to block out the sound, but it's no use.

  My ears are on fire. Feels like they are about to melt away from how hard the sound is beating against my eardrums. And that green light is back. It settles around us like some kind of fog, but it doesn't seem poisonous. God, I hope this light isn't some kind of poisonous vapor or whatever. There's flesh-eating rocks and killer cupcakes in this world.

  My nerves are fried.

  Katsuro drags his cws across the beast's body and when it falls forward, he snorts and jumps off its back. "See, I told ya I could handle it. That beast was weak." He bends down and retrieves his whip. "Heh, I could have killed it with my eyes closed." He crosses his arms and sticks his nose in the air as if he is waiting for appuse.

  "Stop being so cocky," Chloe says. "You still rush into things and that may bite you in the ass." She walks forward and puts her hands on her hips as she gres up at Katsuro.

  "Oi! I know what I'm doing." Katsuro's ears swirl around and point at Chloe.

  I move closer to Roharu, while Chloe and Katsuro bicker. "I don't think it's dead." My gut says something is wrong here. The beast could have been that easy to kill. I've seen Roharu kill beasts with just a flick of his wrist, but something about this one in particur doesn't seem right.

  It's the eyes. Something about those eyes unsettle me.

  Roharu pulls his daggers out once more. "Cat, make sure your kill is actually dead." His tail brushes against my leg as if to soothe me. It works a little.

  Katsuro splutters and throws his hands up. "I know how to kill something, you damn fox. My cws ripped through it. That beast isn't—"

  The ground shakes and the beast rises. Those yellow eyes blink and then fixate on me. Its body doubles in size and when it opens its mouth, its fangs gleam. Saliva pools and fat droplets hit the floor, creating some kind of smoke.

  Crap. That thing is poisonous.

  Katsuro cracks his whip again, though this time it glows as yellow as the beast's eyes. He cracks it against the beast's neck, causing it to rear back on its hind legs and kick its front hooves out. It stomps, sending rubble flying and creating another dust cloud. There's a groan and hurried footsteps. The dust settles with Chloe rushing back to Roharu and me for cover and Katsuro bleeding.

  "Roharu...." I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. Should we make a run for it? Get somewhere that isn't so narrow? But then what? What if there are other beasts lurking around, waiting to get the jump on us? The smell of death hangs in the air, mixed with the spill of Katsuro's blood.

  I hate how quickly I am adjusting to the smell of blood. My fingers flex, but nothing happens. No matter how hard I concentrate to recall that surge of power that took out that spider beast, nothing happens. Come on, Megan, you need to help out somehow. I wiggle my fingers and still nothing. Not even a spark.

  "What are you doing?" Chloe asks.

  "Trying to help."

  "By wiggling your fingers like a silly person?" she asks, her voice far too sincere for my liking.

  "It doesn't matter," I huff. "I can't get it...." Those yellow eyes are watching me again. The beast stomps its hooves on Katsuro's chest right as Roharu's shadows wrap around its body, holding it immobilized. My brain is fuzzy. I rub my forehead and try to look away, but I can't.

  Come here.

  My legs move. Chloe grabs my arm and tugs me back. "What are you doing?" she hisses. "You can't take that thing on. It knocked Katsuro out. There's no way we can do anything."

  I hear what she is saying, but my body doesn't feel like my own.

  Come here.

  I need to go somewhere. Someone needs me. "Let me go!" I yell, jerking my arm back, but Chloe shakes her head, and my body is hot. I'm sweating. "Let me go!" My voice raises until I'm hysterical. I need to go. Need to help someone, but who? My body wars with my mind. Chloe refuses to let me go and I push her back with my other hand. She stumbles and the look of betrayal on her face guts me.

  But.

  I need to go. Need to—

  Sp.

  I palm my face as my eyes widen. "Did you just hit me?"

  "The hell is wrong with you?" She gres at me.

  "With me? You're the one that hit me for no...." I turn around quickly. Roharu is holding the beast off while Katsuro struggles to his feet. He presses a hand to his chest. "The eyes! Go after its eyes!" Roharu's ears twitch as he throws a dagger at the beasts. His body sinks into the floor right as the beast sms its hooves down.

  "Where did he go?" Chloe asks. "He just disappeared. That can't be good."

  I suck my teeth. There's a ripple above and Roharu drops down, stabbing the beast in one eye. He pulls his dagger out and stabs it repeatedly in the others. A green puss spills out of its eyes while more droplets of saliva hit the floor. The floor is sinking. The saliva is eating away at the stone. Katsuro cracks his whip while keeping a hand to his chest and aims for the beast's neck. He hits it over and over until the neck is severed from the body.

  Chloe gags. "I think I'm going to puke."

  "Do it off in a corner," I say absentmindedly. My body feels heavy, as if I just woke up from a dream. Every time I blink, I see those yellow eyes watching me. This pce gives me the creeps. From the krvak being here to that beast bringing itself back to life, my body is stuck between being afraid and wanting to push through. The fog dissipates as quickly as it appeared.

  "Heal yourself," Roharu commands Katsuro. "I cannot scent any other beasts, but that does not mean there are not any others." He drags his dagger down the beast's body and cuts into it. "Only the mouth and eyes seem to be poisonous."

  "Are we taking the meat with us?" I grimace and then cough. My head is woozy. Chloe stumbles a little. She seems as out of it as I feel. We need to get away from this area.

  "Yes, we are finding somewhere to make camp. The cat is hurt and you two are about to fall over."

  "Can't you lick his wound and heal him?"

  Roharu freezes. "I would rather die than have to lick that cat."

  "Fuck you," Katsuro grumbles. "No one asked for your help. I had it under control." He holds his hand to his chest for a moment longer and then drops it. "See, I'm fine. Don't need help from a fox."

  "Stop being a dick," Chloe says. "That thing nearly bashed your skull in."

  "I had it under control."

  "No, you didn't."

  "Oi! Whose side are ya on?"

  I sigh and drag the pelt over to Roharu. It's heavier than it looks. "Do you want to use this to carry the meat? Or drag the beast with us?"

  He sets the dagger down across his leg and tilts his head to the side. His hands are stained red with blood and there's a spsh of it across his cheek.

  My stomach tightens and I squeeze my thighs together. This is so not the time. He sniffs the air.

  "Megan, I can smell you."

  "You don't have to keep telling me I stink," I grumble.

  He stares at me and makes a show of eyeing the length of my body. "No, I smell your arousal. It's far too dangerous to mate here." He smiles. A fang pokes through his upper lip. "Besides, I doubt you wish to have an audience."

  My cheeks burn. "I didn't say I wanted to have sex now."

  "What?" Chloe excims.

  "Nothing!" I close my eyes. "Stop ughing. It's not funny."

  Roharu chuckles. "It is a little funny." He slides his dagger back into its pce and stands. "Cat, you will carry this beast until we find a suitable pce to make camp."

  Katsuro grumbles and grabs one leg. "We're not taking the head."

  "Thank goodness for that," Chloe says. "Those eyes were freaking me out. And Megan, seriously, what the hell was your problem?"

  "... I heard a voice? It came saying come here, and I felt compelled to go."

  Roharu squints. He grabs my face and I shiver. Great, now there is blood on my face too. "It tried to control you?" He looks back at the head and drops his hands. "I would rather not take any chances." He presses a finger to the head and bck fmes erupt, enveloping the head. He crosses his arms and watches the fire burn away at the head until there is nothing left.

  "Ya could have done that this whole time?" Katsuro growls. His tail swishes back and forth. His eyes narrow.

  "I was under the impression you did not require my help," Roharu replies, taking the pelt from me. He brushes past Katsuro and motions for me to follow. "You may dally here if you so wish, but we will not."

  "Should we try to find an exit or a way down?" I rack my brain, trying to recall dungeon mechanics, but I draw a bnk. There may be a way back up to the surface, but I doubt we will be that lucky. Nah, knowing our luck, this dungeon probably has like a hundred floors or something. Ugh, I hope not. I may actually go insane.

  "Camp," Roharu says. "We will keep going until we find an area suitable to camp and then gather our bearings. We only have one capable fighter in this party."

  "I heard that!"

  "And your powers are not reliable at the moment. Until you can master them, we cannot count on you to assist."

  Ouch. Yeah, I know that, but hearing him say it stings. It's not like I don't want to help, but I don't know what triggered them the first time. I stare at my palms and wiggle my fingers.

  Nothing.

  I blow out a breath and drop my hands. We walk until we come to a door. Roharu holds out a hand and then opens it.

  Stairs.

  Guess we're going further down this dungeon, after all.

  The vines along the wall hiss. I grit my teeth and stick close behind Roharu. Please don't let it be more snakes. My heart can't take any more surprises today. Scratch that. I don't want any more surprises for the rest of the year, at least. The ball of light goes in front of us. At the bottom is an overarching door.

  The room is open. There's water and what looks to be another room off to the side. Roharu sniffs the air and makes a beeline for the other room.

  "We make camp here." He drops the pelt and motions for Katsuro to drop the beast next to it.

  I eye the stone floor. Is it so much to ask for a couple of chairs and maybe a bed too? Roharu motions for me. He pulls me into his p and holds out a dagger. "What's this for?"

  "I'm going to show you how to skin the beasts and what cuts to make." He pces his hand over mine and moves my hand through the motions. I lean back against his chest as he walks me through what to look for and how to make the cuts efficiently. The thought only sts for a fleeting moment and though I shove it away to the back of my mind, my heart holds on to it.

  I'm not ready to give Roharu up.

  AutumnBanks

  Thanks for reading!