Of course, the Frog hurled his tongue out, as predicted.

  The problem was... it was so fucking fast Maro couldn't help but take blow after powerful blow from Akuru's natural weapon. Anut's healing kept the pup going, but the tiny arachnid would run out of Saniya sooner or later.

  Stella assisted by throwing tiny rock shards at the anuran to keep him occupied with something else. She shot countless projectiles, which rotated around her wrists like one of those deceptively-named miniguns. Still, the sentry's speed allowed him to jump out of danger, only not retaliating against the Human because of the Wolf's swiftness and stubbornness.

  Fortunately, Maro seemed to get the hang of his opponent's attack patterns. Akuru's tongue, which the sentry swung like an earth-shattering mace, started to miss the young pup by a hair. Stella needed to give credit where credit was due - that asshat had some neat dance moves.

  The tides of battle changed when the Frog stuck his tongue on a medium-sized crater on the wall, formed by Stella's earth magic shenanigans. A second was enough for Maro to snatch the weaponized organ with his teeth and claws!

  "AHHHH!!!" Akuru cried out. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Crystal-clear tears formed in his eyes.

  Stella quickly dashed towards them. The sentry urged his tongue to retreat, but Maro's grip, anchoring himself on the floor with one clawed hand, was relentless. However, the pup couldn't hold his ground for more than a few seconds, judging by how intense his face was by the herculean effort being made.

  The girl gripped the sentient amphibian's tongue, gathering enough golden Saniya into her knuckles to ensure her grip was as unbreakable as a diamond. She wasn't expecting to resort to this tactic twice in such a short period, but there weren't many more weaknesses to exploit. That said, this motherfucker was COUNTLESS times tougher than three of those Ogre kids combined.

  The tug of war persisted for five minutes, each side not moving an inch. Stella's muscles threatened to rip and tear as she gave her all for the slightest chance at victory. Akuru's eyes throbbed with agony more and more with every passing minute.

  "Stop... resisting... arrest..." His voice was weak and strained after croaking with pain for so long.

  "Kiss my ass, fly-eater..." Stella retorted, her teeth gritting so tightly they threatened to shatter.

  Before either Akuru's tongue or any of the kids' arms could rip apart, a peculiar dot landed on the Frog's head. "Excuse me, sir."

  Stella's eyes widened. "Anut!"

  The sentry shook. "How dare you- ARGH!" His body convulsed for a split second before he regained his composure. "You FIEND!"

  The Spider jumped off him. "He's all yours, children!"

  Before anyone could ask, the Human felt herself gaining ground on the tug of war. "Namadi's light!" She turned her head to glance at Maro. "Pull harder!"

  Their combined strength pulled the Frog by the tongue and swung him at the wall! The sentry howled in pain, though considerably weaker and hoarse for evident reasons.

  While Akuru was stuck on stone, Stella ordered. "Again!" And so, they repeated the process, bashing him on the opposite wall. Then they did it again.

  And again.

  ...

  They kept using the poor anuran as a wrecking ball until their arms gave out. By then, the sentry was reduced to a moaning mess, pinned under a big pile of rubble, only sticking out his head, a hand, and a leg.

  Stella breathed heavily, falling onto her butt. "Man..." She stared at her calloused, reddened hands, quivering with strain. "We actually did it..." A smile of pride and incredibility tugged at her lips.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Maro lay beside her, his tongue sticking out as he struggled to breathe. "I can't believe he gave us all this trouble..."

  She weakly nodded. "And you know the worst part? Anut told me he's one of the weaker ones..."

  "Shadows protect me..." He rolled to lay on his back, resting a paw on his gut. "I don't want to meet the rest of them..."

  Stella grinned further. The thought of more powerful folks inhabiting these caverns was oddly alluring. Still, the current pain was enough warning to not pursue any more trouble here.

  Anut swiftly approached her side. "Oh, goodness! Don't you think you overdid it a little?"

  The girl stretched her neck. "I guess..." she sighed. "I prefer to make sure the guy is truly down. I can't take chances with him."

  "I suppose..." He slowly crawled away. "We're not too far away from Jakaang's cave." He quickened his pace. "Stay put! I doubt anyone will try to bother you after this trouble."

  Stella weakly waved at the arachnid before he was out of sight. "I guess it's only us for now..." She smirked. "Unless you want to roll far away from me..."

  Maro chuckled. "I'm too tired for this. I suppose I can tolerate you for a little while..."

  The Human hummed, slowly shuffling towards a wall to rest her back. "Your call."

  The tweens enjoyed a few minutes of silence until the pup's voice rang.

  "Thank you."

  Stella cocked an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

  "Thank you for going this far for me. You were right when you said I wanted payback for what that Frog put me through. And you were right that it's my fault we're in here." He sighed. "You're... strong and reliable. You're actually perfect for my cousin."

  The girl's jaw hung open. "Wha- Why are you saying this right now?"

  "Because..." He slowly sat up. "I was angry when Lien disappeared for days, then returned with a Human, of all creatures, let alone forming a pack bond with one." His eyes locked on hers, softer and more vulnerable than she ever saw of them. "I thought you would hurt her or worse, considering my aunt's history..."

  Stella's gaze shifted to her feet. "I didn't ask for any of this. Lien just popped in my path and never left me since." She smiled. "I like her a lot. I would never hurt her unless it's in a sparring section." She snorted. "Even then, I'm the one who ends up hurt."

  Maro joined in the laughter. "That's my cousin, alright..." His tone sombered. "I could never keep up with her energy and enthusiasm. That's why I started hanging out with other pups after I've grown and realized she would never act her age..." He grimaced. "When I saw you two together, I..." He swallowed hard. "I realized how much I messed up by leaving her by herself. I could've handled her clinginess, but I let a Human do the job for me..."

  Stella processed the confession for a few more seconds. "Yeah, you could've handled things better. But you can still be there for her, you know. I'm completely sure Lien still cares a lot for you."

  "I know," he muttered. "I don't deserve it, though."

  She shrugged. "I can't argue with that..." She grinned. "Well... that pup has a heart the size of Anut's wife."

  "What was that about my size?" Jakaang's voice echoed next to them, making Stella jolt by surprise. Maro was unfazed, however.

  The large Spider crawled past them and towards the fallen sentry. "Here we go again..." She carefully removed the rubble on top of him. "No damaged eye. Thank goodness," she cheekily remarked.

  As Jakaang covered and entrapped Akuru with her crimson web, her husband jumped on Stella's shoulder. "You surface-dwellers sure know how to keep things lively, huh?"

  The Human chuckled, caressing his head with her finger. "You know it! Thank you so much for the assist back there." She slightly furrowed her eyebrows. "What did you do while we were pulling his tongue?"

  "Oh, that was just poison," he explained. "I'm not nearly as good as my wife, but I can make someone his size feel dizzy and itchy." He giggled. "I'm glad that made the difference!"

  "It sure did." Maro beamed. "Sorry for acting rude to you, Mr. Anut. We're forever grateful."

  Anut stroked his own head. "Stop it, child. I'll admit all this action was tremendously entertaining. I haven't exercised this hard in years!"

  Jakaang rolled the sentry onto her web like a disgusting burrito and hung him on the ceiling. "He'll be good as new," she assured before her eyes sternly narrowed at them. "You are a lucky duo, you know that?"

  Anut sheepishly laughed. "Oh, honey! They'll face enough scolding from their parents. You should carry them back to the surface already!"

  Stella blinked. "Wait. You're not coming?"

  "Nope! I must assure my fellow male Spiders that all this mess has passed and gather them to fix these tunnels." His legs motion at their surroundings, now considerably enlarged by the destructive battle. Most of the sikpha crystals had fallen to the floor, creating this illusion of stepping on a starry night sky.

  "Explaining all of this to the Matriarch will be tough..." Jakaang pointed out. "We can just tell you two rascals slipped out of my hold and went for revenge against Akuru."

  "Didn't he see Anut, though?" Maro interjected.

  The crimson-eyed Spider laughed. "I doubt he can differentiate between all the male Spiders. He doesn't even know how to sense Saniya!"

  Anut sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. I wouldn't want to be judged by the Golden Matriarch herself..."

  Jakaang nodded. "Yes, yes. But time is of the essence here." Her eight eyes locked on the children. "Are you ready?"

  Stella and Maro traded glances.

  "Ready when you are..." She winked mischievously. "...cousin-in-law."

  Maro shook his head but couldn't contain his own grin. "Don't get ahead of yourself."