The group stepped into a vast chamber, its size immediately setting it apart from the twisting tunnels they had navigated so far. Unlike the confined coral-coated paths, this space was open and eerily serene, with sand pathways weaving between patches of coral, seashell clusters, and jagged rock formations.

  A narrow stream of water trickled in from the tunnel they had just exited, carving a winding path through the chamber. It twisted around coral outcrops and smooth patches of stone, before emptying into a shimmering lagoon at the center. The lagoon's waters were clear yet deceptively deep, teeming with fish of various colors, swaying strands of seaweed, and even a few slow-moving turtles resting lazily on partially submerged rocks.

  Across the chamber, four dark openings loomed, leading deeper into the unknown: One large tunnel directly ahead, wide enough for multiple people to walk through side by side. Two smaller tunnels close together on the right, like twin passages leading into unknown depths. A final singular tunnel to the left, more isolated than the others, with jagged coral hanging like ominous fangs around its entrance.

  Cromus instinctively scanned the area, his grip tightening on his sword hilt as he took in their surroundings. The stillness of the chamber felt unnatural—too peaceful, too untouched for a place filled with lurking predators.

  Athas moved first, stepping lightly across the sand, sniffing at the salty air as his tongue flicked out rapidly. Ush crouched beside a coral-covered rock, watching the lagoon with sharp, calculating eyes.

  Kaazz, however, was the first to break the silence.

  "Multiple paths," Kaazz murmured, his gaze lingering on the three waterways vanishing into the chamber’s walls. "And we might have to check them all."

  Cromus nodded, his mind already running through the possibilities. "That’s what worries me." He turned toward the tunnels, each one a potential risk. "We need to pick a direction, but first… let’s make sure there’s nothing waiting to pick us off before we decide."

  As if on cue, a ripple spread across the lagoon’s surface.

  A single fish darted out of the water.

  Then another.

  Then—silence.

  Cromus frowned. “…That’s not good.”

  Ush’s hand was already on her dagger.

  Before anyone could react, a soft, haunting melody drifted through the cavern, its sound delicate and inviting. A figure rose from the water, her shimmering hair cascading down her shoulders, a vision of perfection. Two more emerged beside her, their harmonizing voices intertwining into an alluring song, a siren’s chorus filling the chamber.

  "OH HELL NO! EVERYONE COVER YOUR EARS!" Cromus bellowed, slamming his hands against the sides of his head.

  Kaazz’s eyes glazed over first, his expression slackening as he took a hesitant step forward. Then Ush. Then Athas.

  Their bodies moved like puppets on strings, their jaws slack, entranced as they walked in an eerie, dazed rhythm toward the water—toward the waiting arms of the sirens.

  Panic surged through Cromus as his party stepped closer and closer to certain death. His heart pounded. Try to think!

  His gaze darted around. No weapons would work fast enough. No magic. He needed something immediate. Something disruptive.

  Then it hit him. The dumbest, most awful idea possible.

  He inhaled sharply.

  And barreled out the first song that came to mind.

  "MAKING MY WAY DOWNTOWN—"

  His voice cracked violently, echoing through the cavern like a dying goat. The sirens winced.

  "WALKING FAST, FACES PASS AND I’M HOME BOUND!"

  Cromus spun, ripping a chunk of coral from the floor.

  Two of the sirens shrieked, slapping their hands over their ears, their concentration shattering under the sheer assault on musical decency.

  At the peak of his spin, he launched the coral.

  It smacked the third siren square in the forehead with a sharp crack, sending her reeling with a pained screech. All three immediately dove beneath the water, their hypnotic song cutting off in an instant.

  Ush stumbled, blinking rapidly. Her foot hovered just above the lagoon's edge.

  Kaazz swayed on his feet, his expression flickering between confusion and unease as he rubbed at his forehead, his movements sluggish, as if shaking off the remnants of a dream. Ush blinked hard, her breathing uneven, before she pressed two fingers against her temple, trying to steady herself.

  “…What just happened?” she muttered, glancing around as if seeing the cavern for the first time.

  Cromus exhaled sharply, his pulse still racing, his breath slightly ragged from the abrupt exertion. He shot a glare toward the water, as if he expected the mermaids to resurface at any second. He jabbed a finger at the dark, rippling lagoon.

  “Mermaids. Devilish things. Next time you hear so much as a single note, cover your damn ears.”

  Kaazz, still shaking off the lingering haze, wiped at his eyes before leveling Cromus with an incredulous look. His mouth opened slightly, his lips pressing together before he finally spoke, voice laced with reluctant disbelief.

  “…Did you just save us by singing?”

  Cromus dragged a hand down his face, groaning, every bit of his exhaustion seeping into the motion. “Don’t make me relive it.”

  Ush blinked a few times, her gaze sharpening as she focused on him. A slow smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth, amusement creeping into her tone.

  “I think I remember something about… ‘Making my way downtown’?”

  Cromus groaned louder, rolling his shoulders as if he could physically shake off the embarrassment. “I said don’t make me relive it!”

  Ush, despite everything, grinned. The warmth in her expression was rare, resembling her meek self before she gained her class, the usual sharpness in her eyes softening just slightly as she looked at him. “Cromus.”

  He turned, still scowling, his embarrassment obvious. “What?”

  She hesitated for a moment before nodding, her voice carrying none of her earlier sarcasm or teasing. “Thank you.”

  Cromus paused, the unexpected sincerity catching him off guard. He shifted slightly, rubbing at the back of his head as if to dispel the moment. “… Of course.”

  But before the warmth of the exchange could settle, the water behind her rippled—a subtle disturbance, a whisper of movement just beneath the surface.

  A slick, dark tentacle coiled up from the lagoon, the water rolling off its surface as it slithered into the air, silent and deliberate.

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  Cromus’s body reacted before his mind could catch up. His eyes widened, muscles tensing, his entire focus locking onto the movement.

  “Ush, MOVE!” He lunged forward, reaching for her—but something clamped around his ankle. Hard.

  Before he could even register what happened, his balance was violently ripped away from him.

  His chin slammed into the ground, the impact sending a jolt of pain up his jaw and rattling his teeth. His arms scrambled for purchase, but before he could so much as grunt, his entire body was yanked backward with terrifying force.

  The world blurred past him—sand, rock, coral—an unrelenting blur of jagged colors and sharp edges as he was violently dragged across the cavern floor. The scrape of stone and debris against his skin barely registered over the overwhelming pull of whatever had latched onto him.

  Gritting his teeth through the discomfort, he yanked out his sword, slamming it down into the sand with all his strength, burying it deep.

  The water surged up to his waist. It took everything he had to keep himself from being pulled in further, but his fingers were slipping.

  Then—Ush appeared. Balanced, swift, deadly.

  She landed on his leg, crouched in perfect form, her dagger a blur as she sliced into the tentacle with precision.

  Each strike came with a ghostly viper’s shadow, a haunting afterimage that snapped and bit down right after each slash.

  The tentacle recoiled, shrieking silently as it snapped away from Cromus’s ankle.

  Cromus gasped at the sudden release, his grip on Raging Boar faltering as his body lurched forward. He barely had time to regain his footing before scrambling back from the lagoon, retreating with a newfound wariness toward the water’s edge.

  His breath was ragged, sand and moisture clinging to his clothes, but he didn't care. He glanced toward Ush, who had already repositioned herself a few paces away, her stance low, her dagger still dripping blackened ichor.

  The water shuddered.

  A deep ripple rolled across the lagoon, followed by a low, guttural sound, something between a growl and a bubbling exhale.

  Then, the surface broke.

  Two massive humanoid figures rose from the depths, each towering over seven feet tall.

  Their bodies were sheer muscle, thick and powerful, their skin glistening with moisture beneath the cavern’s eerie glow. Their heads were that of octopi, bulbous and shifting, their forms expanding and contracting rhythmically as they breathed.

  Two thick tentacles curled around their mouths, twitching with unnatural precision. Their arms, long and sinewy, bore rows of suction cups lining the undersides, yet their hands remained distinctly humanoid—webbed fingers curling into fists.

  But it didn’t end there.

  Two additional tentacles slithered beneath their arms, while another pair jutted from their shoulders, flexing and coiling like separate limbs, testing the air as if tasting the scent of their prey.

  Dark, seaweed-like strands draped over their bodies, acting as crude garments—not for modesty, but perhaps for function.

  Their milky, pupil-less eyes fixed onto the group, and though they did not speak, their presence carried a silent promise of violence.

  Cromus tightened his grip on his sword, muscles tensing. He already cast his spell bringing forth a familiar talon shape he had used many times now.

  His gaze locked onto the creatures, assessing their movements, their sheer size, the way their tentacles slithered through the air, searching for an opening.

  “Everyone," he muttered, voice low but firm, "I suggest you fight like you’ve never fought before… because the last thing I want to do is reenact a damn hentai in this dungeon.”

  Kaazz blinked. “...What?”

  Cromus opened his mouth to answer— but the Octo-men attacked.

  The tentacles sprouting from their shoulders swelled, expanding unnaturally like inflating balloons before they came crashing down in a synchronized assault.

  Four tentacles struck at once.

  Kaazz, caught off guard, stumbled backward and fell just out of reach, his back hitting the rough coral as a tentacle slammed down where he had just been standing.

  Athas dodged to the right, his claws scraping against the slick ground before lunging at the closest appendage. His jaws clamped down hard, fangs piercing rubbery flesh. The Octo-man recoiled instantly, yanking its limb back, but Athas released at the perfect moment, letting it pull away without taking him with it.

  Ush blinked using the shadow created by the tentacle, vanishing from sight just before the tentacle struck where she had been standing. She reappeared a split second later at the creature’s flank, daggers already in hand.

  Cromus held his ground.

  As the tentacle swung down toward him, he reacted in an instant, swinging Raging Boar upward to meet the attack. The thick, rubbery hide resisted the blade, preventing it from cutting deep— but his talon didn’t.

  His enchanted claw carved through the flesh with ease, slicing through muscle and sinew before his greatsword dug in behind it, severing the appendage entirely.

  Black blood rained over him, splattering across his arms and face.

  The Octo-man shuddered, its body flinching, but it didn’t scream.

  Instead of a scream, the Octo-man released a low, wet, bubbling sound—a noise that slithered through the air, unsettling in a way no pained cry could match.

  Cromus tightened his grip on Raging Boar, feeling the weight of the battle settle into his muscles. His body tensed, instincts screaming for him to move before the enemy could recover. He didn’t hesitate. He surged forward, his boots kicking up sand and loose fragments of coral, each step propelling him closer to his wounded prey.

  The Octo-man, its injured limb oozing dark briny blood, sensed the attack coming and lurched backward, tentacles writhing as it struggled to regain its footing. But retreat wasn’t an option—not with Ush already waiting like a shadow in its blind spot.

  The moment its webbed foot shifted, she struck.

  Her daggers moved in a blur, slicing through scales and sinew, each strike precise, each movement calculated.

  Three rapid slashes—each one followed by the spectral fangs of Phantom Fang.

  The ghostly vipers manifested in the air, their translucent jaws snapping shut as they delivered venomous bites, embedding deep into the Octo-man’s flesh before vanishing in a whisper of mist.

  The creature twisted violently, whipping a thick tentacle outward in a desperate attempt to strike back. Ush caught the movement immediately, her sharp eyes tracking the attack even as her body reacted on instinct. She kicked off the sand, flipping backward with the ease of someone who had lived her entire life avoiding death.

  The tentacle whistled past her, missing by mere inches.

  But the Octo-man wasn’t done.

  It let out a deep, gurgling rumble, its remaining tentacles rising like coiled serpents preparing to strike.

  Cromus’s lips curled into a feral grin as he closed the distance.

  “You already forget about me?!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the cavern.

  Before the creature could react, Cromus’s greatsword slammed into its back with bone-crushing force.

  Raging Boar bit deep, its enchanted edge tearing through muscle and cartilage, forcing the Octo-man’s spine to bend unnaturally under the weight of the strike.

  The creature convulsed, its bulbous head swelling as it let out a guttural hiss, the pain evident in the way its entire form shuddered.

  Cromus gritted his teeth, digging his heels into the ground, pressing harder, determined to carve straight through its back.

  He never got the chance.

  The second Octo-man struck.

  A thick, rubbery tentacle lashed out from the side, moving faster than something that size had any right to. It collided with Cromus’s ribs like a battering ram, pain exploding through his side before he even realized what had hit him. The impact sent him hurtling sideways, his boots scraping against the cavern floor, sand and coral biting into his skin as he struggled to regain control.

  The Octo-man that struck him remained still, its shoulders rising and falling in an unsettling rhythm, milky eyes unblinking. Then, one of its smaller tentacles extended outward, as if testing the air, tasting his scent.

  For a moment, his breath caught—the impact having momentarily stolen the air from his lungs. He forced himself upright, pushing through the lingering ache, his sharp gaze locking onto his new attacker.

  The second Octo-man loomed before him, its blank, milky eyes unblinking, its tentacle retracting slightly as if coiling for another devastating strike.

  A slow, bubbling noise gurgled from its throat—a soundless, alien challenge.

  Cromus exhaled, ignoring the dull ache still reverberating in his side. He concentrated, bringing up nature’s shield the green covering his body as he watched his mana drop by 40 mana.

  "Alright," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "Let's try that again."

  He rushed in on the closest one. Its movements changing, its remaining tentacle deflated, becoming more leaner, quicker, with the reduced weight it dodged his first strike, raging boar hitting the ground harmlessly.

  Ush watched Cromus make his moved she moved behind the other one, mess with it.

  The moment Ush’s dagger sliced through its side, the Octo-man didn’t flinch—didn’t reel in pain.

  Instead, its milky gaze snapped toward her.

  A tentacle shot out not toward where she stood—but behind her.

  It slammed into the ground where her shadow had been. Where she would have been—if she hadn’t already moved.

  Ush’s eyes looked from the tentacle to its face, its milky eyes following her retreat. It was learning.