The dank stench of the lair fills my nostrils as I survey the chamber, my heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Sheathing a dagger, I draw my sword.

  ‘I hope to fuck it’s enough.’

  I grip the hilt tighter, the leather wrapping around the handle rough against my calloused palm. Beside me, Elara nocks an arrow, her eyes narrowing as she assesses the writhing mass of skeps heading towards us.

  "Never a dull moment, eh?" I mutter, trying to inject some levity into the situation.

  Elara's lips quirk into a wry smile. "You have a talent for understatement, Del."

  I snort. "Better than being known for my pretty face." My self-deprecating humour falls flat, but it's a familiar coping mechanism in the face of danger.

  The skeps chitter angrily, their beady eyes fixated on us as they scuttle forward. I count at least twenty of the buggers, with a handful of larger, more menacing specimens mixed in—the dreaded Skep Guards.

  "Stick to the plan," Elara says calmly, drawing her bowstring taut. "I'll keep them at bay from here while you engage the main force."

  I nod, appreciating her cool-headed confidence. It's a stark contrast to the maelstrom of doubt swirling in my own mind.

  ‘Can I really do this? Am I strong enough?’ The questions plague me, but I push them aside.

  ‘Just fucking stop whining and do already, Del.’

  There's no time for second-guessing now.

  With a deep breath, I lunge forward, my blade slicing through the air. The nearest skep hisses, rearing up on its hind legs. I sidestep its clumsy attack and drive my sword into its thorax, feeling the sickening crunch of flesh and bone giving way.

  Misty, in full hellcat mode, leaps into the fray with a fearsome roar. Her claws rend flesh, and her powerful jaws snap bone as she tears through the skeps like a furry whirlwind of death. I almost feel sorry for the little bastards.

  An arrow whistles past my ear, finding its mark in a skep that was creeping up on my flank. I glance back at Elara and give her a grateful nod. She's already nocking another arrow, her movements fluid and precise.

  ‘Good girl, glad you are better with that damn bow than me,’ I think wryly.

  The battle rages on, a chaotic symphony of shrieks, grunts, and the clash of steel against skep. Sweat drips into my eyes, and my muscles burn with exertion, but I press forward, hacking and slashing with grim determination.

  ‘Just another day in paradise,’ I think sardonically as I plunge my blade into yet another skep. ‘When did this become normal for me?’

  ‘About the time you decided staying alive was the better option, you numbnuts,’ my oh-so-friendly other me answers with scorn.

  But there's no time to dwell on the absurdity of my situation. The lair mother looms ahead, her bloated form pulsing with malevolent energy. She's the real threat here, and we'll need to deal with her if we hope to make it out of this stinking hole alive.

  I glance at Misty, still tearing through the skeps with ruthless efficiency, and then at Elara, her bow singing its deadly song. A fierce surge of affection wells up inside me. They're more than just companions—they're my lifeline in this mad world.

  ‘Together,’ I think grimly as I charge towards the lair mother, my sword raised high. ‘We'll face this together, come what may.’

  As I charge towards the Lair mother, a wall of tangled vines suddenly erupts from the ground before me, halting my advance. I whirl around to see Elara, her hands aglow with verdant energy, weaving a living barrier between us and the skeps.

  "Del! Get behind the vines!" she shouts, her voice strained with the effort of her magic.

  I don't need to be told twice. Darting behind the writhing mass of greenery, I take a moment to catch my breath and assess the situation. The lair mother is close now, her fetid stench filling my nostrils and making my stomach churn.

  ‘I've faced worse,’ I remind myself, gripping my sword and dagger tightly. ‘Just another monster to slay, another day in this bizarre new life of mine.’

  I hear a snide chuckle. ‘Just don’t fuck it up with them relying on you, Del.’

  I growl quietly.

  ‘Will you just shut up? I’m kinda busy here.’

  With a deep breath, I leap out from behind Elara's barrier, my blades flashing in the dim light. The lair mother's bulk looms before me, a grotesque mountain of flesh and patchy fur.

  "Come on then, you ugly bitch," I snarl through gritted teeth. "Let's dance."

  My sword clashes against her hide—it's so tough it might as well be armoured. It sends jarring vibrations up my arm. I dodge a swipe from her massive claws, rolling to the side and lashing out with my dagger. The blade finds a soft spot in her side, drawing a gush of foul-smelling ichor.

  ‘That's it,’ I think savagely, pressing my advantage. ‘Just keep hitting her until she stops moving.’

  The lair mother, far from defenceless, lets out a screech. A pulse of sickly green energy erupts from her body, slamming into me like a battering ram. I am hurled back twenty feet, my head ringing and my vision blurring.

  ‘Get up, you dumb shite!’ I berate myself, shaking off the dizzy spell. ‘You’ve had far worse.’

  With a snarl of defiance, I jump myself back into the fray, my blades a whirlwind of steel. I can hear Misty's fierce yowls and the twang of Elara's bowstring, and I take heart in the knowledge that I'm not alone in this fight.

  ‘Together,’ I think once more as I hack away at the Lair mother's bulk. ‘We'll end this damn bitch.’

  ‘Just don’t get anyone killed doing it.’

  The skeps swarm around us, a writhing mass of fur and teeth. I slash and stab, my sword and dagger finding their marks with practised precision. The creatures fall before me, but there always seems to be another to take their place.

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  "Del, watch out!" Elara shouts, her voice tinged with panic.

  I spin around just in time to see a massive skep guard barrelling towards me, its eyes glinting with malice. I brace myself for the impact, but Misty is there in a flash of ginger fur, her powerful jaws clamping down on the creature's neck.

  The skep guard howls in pain and thrashes wildly, but Misty holds on with grim determination. I seize the opportunity to plunge my sword into the creature's chest, feeling a grim satisfaction as it shudders and goes limp.

  ‘Good girl,’ I think, flashing Misty a quick grin.

  She spits out a chunk of the skep's lifeless body and gives me one of her looks.

  ‘You're welcome, you damn fool.’

  But there's no time to rest. The skeps keep coming, their numbers seeming endless. I can feel my muscles burning with fatigue, and I know that we can't keep this up forever.

  ‘Think, Del,’ I urge myself, my mind racing. ‘There has to be a way to end this.’

  My gaze falls on the mother, her bloated form still perched at the centre of the chamber. If we can take her down, perhaps the rest of the skeps will scatter.

  "Elara, Misty!" I shout over the din of battle. "We need to focus on the big bitch. It's our only chance!"

  ‘Look at him,’ Misty comments wryly. ‘Going all strategist on us.’

  Elara nods grimly, nocking an arrow to her bowstring. Misty lets out a fierce yowl of agreement, her claws flexing in anticipation.

  We push forward, cutting a path through the swarming skeps towards our ultimate goal.

  ‘If we can even get close enough,’ I think, gritting my teeth as I parry a blow from a Skep Guard's claws.

  That fat mother still has tricks to show us. Her fat arse may not be able to move much, but she is far from defenceless. As Elara looses an arrow at her, a shimmering shield springs up around the massive skep, deflecting the shot. The barrier flickers and fades after a few seconds, but I know it will be back.

  "Watch out for her magic!" I call to the others, dodging a swipe from another skep.

  ‘No shit, Sherlock,’ answers Misty.

  No sooner have the words left my mouth than a beam of energy shoots from the behemoth's eyes, striking me in the shoulder. I cry out in pain, feeling as though I've been stabbed with a white-hot dagger.

  ‘Fucking hell, that hurts,’ I think, gritting my teeth against the agony.

  But I push through, keeping my focus on the fight. We're getting closer now, the lair mother's bulk looming before us.

  Suddenly, a pulse of energy erupts from her once more, washing over us like a tidal wave. I feel myself being hurled backwards, my feet leaving the ground as I'm thrown once more, forcefully away from her.

  I hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from my lungs. Around me, I see Elara and Misty struggling to their feet, looking as battered as I feel.

  "Fuck, she hits bloody hard," I mutter, spitting blood from my mouth.

  But we can't give up now. We've come too far to let this oversized rat get the best of us.

  "Keep pushing forward!" Elara shouts, staggering to her feet. "We've got to take her down!"

  Misty snarls, a guttural growl from somewhere deep in her chest.

  I get back up. “Ok, all ready?”

  Elara nods, her face set in grim determination as she nocks another arrow.

  Misty snarls, radiating fury as she charges back into the fray.

  I raise my sword and dagger once more. ‘One way or another, we're going to finish this.’

  Pain lances through my ribs as I charge forward once more, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. ‘Probably cracked a few,’ I muse darkly. ‘But I'll be damned if I let that stop me.’

  ‘My hero.’

  ‘Shut the fuck up, Del.’

  Ahead, Misty weaves between the remaining skeps, her claws and fangs a blur of deadly precision. Elara's arrows whistle past, finding their marks with unerring accuracy.

  I engage a Skep Guard, my blades clashing with its glinting claws in a shower of sparks. It's a tough bastard, its tough hide deflecting my strikes. But I press on, feinting left before driving my dagger into the side of its neck.

  "Del, watch out!" Elara cries, just as another green beam sears past my head.

  I drop to the ground, rolling to avoid the attack. "Bloody hell, that was too close!"

  ‘That fat c**t's not making this easy,’ I think, glancing at her massive form.

  My momentary distraction nearly costs me, as a skep's claw rakes across my thigh. I hiss in pain, retaliating with a vicious slash that severs the creature's leg.

  "We need to end this!" I shout, my voice raw. "Elara, can you get a clear shot at the her eyes?"

  "I'll try," she replies, her brow furrowed in concentration as she takes aim. I feel the hum of her mana taking shape.

  Misty yowls, drawing my attention. She's cornered by three Skep Guards, their teeth snapping menacingly.

  ‘Hang on, Misty,’ I think, rushing to her aid.

  ‘Now would be good, oh mighty warrior.’ is her breathless reply.

  Together, Misty and I take on the guards, our desperate flurry of attacks slowly turning the tide.

  Suddenly, the lair mother lets out a shrill shriek of pain. I whirl to see one of Elara's green glowing arrows protruding from the beast's eye. Nature's wrath, doing its job, causes that head to droop as if stunned—or worse.

  "Nice shot!" I call, grinning fiercely.

  ‘But it's not over yet,’ I realise, as the Lair mother thrashes wildly, her remaining eyes blazing with fury.

  She rears up, preparing for another push-back attack. I brace myself, knowing this one's going to hurt like hell.

  ‘Come on, you ugly mother-fucker,’ I think, steeling my resolve. ‘Give us your worst.’

  Her eyes flare green just as my ginger ninja, in full-on extremely pissed-off mode, flies through the air and latches onto the creature's exposed throat. With a screaming cry of pain from the beast and a huge fountain of blood, Misty drops down and rolls aside as the Lair mother slumps dead to the floor.

  [Congratulations you have killed 3 skep scouts; experience gained]

  [Congratulations you have killed 19 skeps; experience gained]

  [Congratulations you have killed 7 skep guards; experience gained]

  [Congratulations you have killed skep lair mother; experience gained]

  [Congratulations you have advanced your Primary Cuvat; Points added]

  [Congratulations you have gained enough experience to level up; would you like to level up now?]