Those chasing in my wake don't seem to appreciate my gifts. Angry shouts and a barrage of blade light explode from behind me, shattering the stone and sending shards bouncing from my carapace. I don't think they like my souped up merchandise. They'll like it even less soon enough… Gweheheh.

Wha?!

BOOM!

My senses tingle and my legs fire before I understand why, just in time to avoid the fireball that streaks beneath me, searing the fine hairs on my legs before detonating against the tunnel wall in front of me. My vision becomes filled with smoke and dust, my antennae muddled by the residual heat. Even so, my future sense sends flashes of sensory input into my mind and I leap to my left, just in time to avoid the glittering broadsword that slices down.

Clang!

The blade flashes before my eyes and pierces deep into the stone between my mandibles, slicing through the stone as if it weren't there. Holy heck! My mandibles flex and snap shut with concussive force.

Doom Chomp!

The dark jaws of energy manifest and close with brutal swiftness. Irritatingly, the blade snakes up from the ground and draws a shining arc in the air that my jaws crunch down on and stop. They just blocked my Doom Chomp with sword light? Is that even a thing?

Turns out, it nearly is, but not quite. After a moment of strain, the light shatters and my jaws complete their path, crunching shut. But holy mcjiggers is that armour tough! I feel like I just clamped my mandibles down on a rod of reinforced concrete! What the heck is that stuff made of? Regardless, I wasn't able to penetrate the bulky suit in my first bite, but the person wearing it doesn't look comfortable. With a heave, I lift them from the ground and spin my body to one side, tossing them like a dwarf directly back into the path of the oncoming pursuers.

And they're gaining. It looks like there's ten of them and with this one making the sacrifice play to hold me up, they've closed the distance to just a dozen metres. At this sort of range, they can dash to cover it in an instant. If I turn my back on them now, I'm going to tank a heck of a lot of shots from them before I get far. We might have to stand and deliver.

[Form up! Crinis! Time to peel off and get busy. Tiny! I want you on the front line making a mess, just make sure you don't die. Invidia, you're on support. You have permission to bring the boom if necessary.]

That bulging eye flashes green and curves with delight.

[Yesssssss,] he gloats.

"Protectant and company, I want you in the back. If you try and step out against foes like this, you'll get cooked. Your Skill levels aren't high enough. If you think you have a chance to pick off one of them and take them out of the fight, go for it. No chances though, operate in two groups of ten."

Luckily I can think at my pets and speak with pheromones at the same time. Instructions relayed, I turn to take up the frontline position against this obstinate foe.

[Sse Se Se Ssssse!] Invidia chortles to himself with a sibilant hiss as I feel the prodigious power of his mind go to work.

He's been banned from using his explosive magics since he tends to suck up all of the experience when he deploys it. Finally let off the leash, I can feel the mad little eyeball drawing out enormous flows of mana, spinning together into deadly flowers that he scatters amongst our enemies.

Now that I face up to them, I have to wonder, who are these people? These armoured death soldiers of doom!? They sure as heck don't look like any Golgari that I've ever seen. So who are they? Is this just a hunting team, on a delve? They seem a little too well armed and armoured for that. The massive plates of living rock and steel that make up their suits are impressive as hell, every inch of the damn things look enchanted to the brim. But their weapons are just the same! Two of them even sport massive tower shields that positively hum with mana. This lot are of a way higher league than what we've seen before.

Tiny, Crinis and Invidia step forward and begin to make their presence known. Here in the depths of the seconds strata, Crinis is at her most powerful, the thick shadow mana allowing her to manifest her tentacles almost anywhere she pleases. As she rises from my back and begins to take her true form, dozens of twisting limbs break away and slither through the air, only to vanish into the darkness. Tiny unleashes his lightning across his bulging, muscular form, his roar of defiance shaking the ceiling.

Invidia just glares at the enemy and unleashes his creations.

From the darkness comes a shout of warning and in a flash the figures dash together, huddled behind the two shields that unleash a burst of radiant light before…

BOOM!

The magic of Invidia strikes home and shakes the tunnel even further. To my shock, the barrier of energy the shield soldiers erected manages to hold strong against the spell. Brandishing their shields high, the two step forward in unison, pushing their barrier forward as the others fan out behind them.

The longer I'm part of this conflict, the less I like how it's going. At the very least, I can take some comfort from the sight of the acid I fired growing on them. Not in an emotional sense, but in the literal. Clumps of acidic, sticky goop cling to their armour where it sizzles and steams, eating into stone, metal and mana alike. Given enough time, it's sure to wreak havoc with their enchantments.

My sub-minds are busy, frantic even, spinning together an ice magic construct and continuing my attempts to latch onto the mind of one of these attackers. Whatever they've done to their helmets, it's still working, the spell just slides off them without taking hold. We've got to learn how to do that!

Ah well, if the mind magic won't stick, let's see how they like shards of ice with a side serving of my mandibles!

DOOM CHOMP!

Rearing back, I put my carapace into it this time and force my will into the energy flowing out of my body. The dark mandibles manifest once more, but flatter, built for impact. The two shield bearers step forward, fearless, the dome-like shield enveloping them still. You want to underestimate this ant? You won't be the last!

CRACK!

My jaws strike home and once again they come to a stop, forcing me to strain against the force pushing them back. Unwilling to allow me to attack their shield, the two soldiers and those behind them lash out, weapon strikes and spells zipping through the air toward me.

Fortunately, I'm not alone! In a heartbeat, multiple shields condense in the air before me, snapping together from the ambient mana. It isn't enough to hold back the strikes sent my way, but it is enough to dull them. When they finally reach me, the blows dissipate against my diamond carapace, barely scratching the surface.

I retaliate in kind, spears of ice forming around me that I send zipping through the air toward the others as I clench my face zone, trying to shatter this damn shield!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions ring out and I can't be sure if it's Invidia at work or Tiny. More and more stone dust trickles down from the ceiling, some of it into my eyes as the repeated detonations shake the Dungeon.

[Scum! How DARE you strike Master!]

Crinis has had enough. From every surface of the chamber springs a forest of barbed tentacles, each one seeking out a target to dismember like a limb seeking missile. Put on the defensive, the enemies scatter, lashing out with their weapons to try and thin the sheer number of grasping vines. Even now, they don't panic, and that bothers me more than it should. And will this shield break already?!?!

From the back of the tunnel, behind our enemy, I hear noise and my heart sinks as I realise that more are coming. When the first one steps into view, illuminated by the glow of fire and lightning, I swear that I sense something familiar. Armoured like the others, but with two wickedly curved blades, one held in each hand, the figure rushes forward to help the others, armour igniting into a burning red, like the fury of a berserker made manifest.

That's exactly when Protectant decides to strike.