Our plan was set in motion. All that was left to do now was carry it out—well, if we had to, that is. We’d come to the agreement that fighting a [Necromancer] really wasn’t in our best interest. Even in a best-case scenario, someone could die in the fight. With that in mind, we’d agreed to avoid confrontation when possible, seeking out any exit—or any detour—we could find.

Although Ara’s knowledge of Anyona’s emergency tunnels was limited, she proved a master navigator within their dank confines. We’d yet to run into a single dead-end thus far. She’d stressed that these types of tunnels were made with a single pathway leading to an exit most of the time. All other paths or rooms diverging from the trail were more likely to send us around in circles. Apparently, it was designed this way on purpose so that escape was easy if necessary. The only iffy part was knowing which path leading from the entrance was true.

I thought back to the second path that was available when we first arrived underground. It was difficult to believe that the alternate route could’ve possibly been the correct one when we had yet to run into any issues. Ara agreed, and although the possibility was low, it was still conceivable that we’d been walking a road that led nowhere, however unlikely it was.

“Fuck, I’m hungry,” Ravyn complained.

“Me too,” Keke said next.

I was famished. It felt like we’d been scouring these tunnels for hours now. Just the idea of sitting down at a tavern and digging into some of the local food was what kept me going. Or Cannoli’s godly cooking around a campfire. “Hang in there.” It was meant to come out kinda husky, low, reliable. I wanted to sound the responsible part. Instead, the words dragged across my tongue like a hoarse pre-teen who couldn’t finish the morning jog. I sighed.

“It’s okay, Matt. I’m parched too,” said a reassuring Cannoli from behind me.

I cleared my throat and moved my dry tongue around my mouth. “Thanks.”

“Wait,” Keke said in such a way that, at first, I was concerned. She sniffed at the air, her eyes shut in concentration. Then she opened them once more with newfound excitement. “Do you smell that?”

I sniffed the air. Nothing. “No.”

Cannoli shook her head. “Me neither.”

“Fuck, I smell it too,” said a Ravyn, a slow grin forming onto her face. “Seawater!”

“No fooling?” I asked.

“The nose knows,” Keke said, tapping a finger to the end of her nose.

Cannoli giggled. It seemed she was finally coming around too. “Keke always had the better nose. It’s why she makes such a good hunter.

“Hehe,” Keke giggled nervously. “But hey! That means the exit is nearby.”

Ara wore a gentle smile. “I’m glad. Young Master will be safe.”

“Please. Please.” Tristan waved his hand in front of her.

“Alright, we can do this.” I tightened my grip around the axe and took a single step forward. “Don’t let your guard down just yet. We’re not entirely out of this until we’re outside. Even then, the undead could still be chasing us for all we know.”

Tristan and the girls gave me their own forms of affirmation, and we continued off on our path, slower than before. We came to a staircase, where wet droplets began to trickle from the ceiling and slide down the cavern walls. The sound of running water was quiet, but noticeable thanks to the acoustics. I motioned for everyone to stop, placing my fingers against the cool rock to my right.

It wasn’t much, but an intermittent stream of water brushed by my fingers, just barely covering my fingernails. The stream continued onward into the darkness, descending the stairs and continuing on to who knew where.

“Water,” Keke murmured. “We’re right around the corner from the sea, then?”

I shook my head. “No. It’s too convenient, and given how old this cave could be, we’ll leave it alone. So, we have a saying for things like this. Don’t know if Nyarlea has a similar saying, but if it seems too good to be true—”

“Then it usually is,” Ravyn finished. I turned to see that she was wearing a wry smile.

Surprising me every day lately.

With the axe held out in front of me, I descended the stairs, Ara following closely behind me. She would periodically glance behind her, presumably to ensure that Tristan was safe. Maybe it was just me, but she seemed irritated.

Not that it really mattered right now.

“Wait,” Ravyn whispered.

Didn’t have to tell me twice. I stopped dead in my tracks as if frozen, my muscles waiting for the approval to move again, my eyes darting around every which way to see if there was something she noticed.

“I can sense it,” Ravyn continued, wincing. “Ahead of us.”

I took a deep breath to calm down my already accelerating heartbeat. “Focus,” I said just loud enough so that they could hear.

“Ah!” screeched Keke.

I turned around in a flash, and to my horror, a pair of skeletal hands protruded from the wall and clasped around Keke’s neck.

“Keke!” I rushed up the stairs, Ara right beside me. Cannoli and Ravyn were already fighting, each of them gripping one of the boney wrists. “Let me!” I motioned to Cannoli, and she stepped aside without a word. I threw my axe to the ground and took hold of the hand. Ara took over Ravyn’s share of the work, and together we pulled as hard as we could.

“H-hel—” Keke gasped, the veins at her temples growing larger with every second. Keke flailed one of her arms around.

Fuck! What the hell is making these things so strong!

My breath quickened. I couldn’t fathom what was making this so hard. It seemed no matter how hard I pulled, the skeletal arms grip remained just as strong. All I could do was prevent it from squeezing any tighter. But for how long could we manage that? Could a skeleton even get tired?

No, I’m not going to lose you. Goddammit, pull!

At last, Ara seemed to be getting some headway with her side. She gritted her teeth and wore a look of absolute ferocity.

Then Ara cried out, “[Swindler’s Gambit]!” Instantly, Ara snapped the skeletal wrist in half, ripping it away from the wall and tossing it to the ground, where it vanished in a cloud of dark smoke. “Get out of the way! Now!” I did as she said, slightly against my better judgment. Ara moved with the speed of a striking snake, repositioning and leveraging her weight against the wall with her leg. She ripped the arm from the wall in the blink of an eye, then threw it down the opposite hall. It vanished in the same virulent cloud, and Keke fell to her knees in a coughing fit.

“Keke, are you alright?” I cried as I put my hands on her shoulders.

She coughed a few times before she answered. “Y-yeah,” she panted, “I’m okay now. I think.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Cannoli said with tears in her eyes. “I was really afraid that we were going to lose you.”

“I too, am glad you are safe.” Ara put a hand to her head, squinting. She seemed a bit unsteady on her feet. “I have not used that Skill in some time. I had forgotten how awful the side effects could be.”

“Ara!” Tristan cried out, wrapping his arms around her. “Are you going to be okay?”

Ara let out a dry laugh. “I will muster the strength to continue. Do not worry yourself over me. The vertigo will pass in time.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” I said as I wrapped Keke in an embrace. “You saved her life.”

“What was that? That Skill,” Ravyn asked.

Ara moaned. “Has a chance to convert a portion of my [Dexterity] to my [Strength].” She steadied her breathing and leaned into Tristan’s embrace for support.

“How long do we have until the effects wear off?” asked Ravyn.

Ara shook her head. “A mere minute.”

“I’m fine, really,” Keke assured me as she stood up. Not once did I take my hands off of her on the way up. I wanted to be sure I could steady her in case she were to fall. Keke exhaled. “I’m glad that’s over with.”

Cannoli still had her hands over her face. With slow and methodical movements, she dropped her fingers and rested her head against Keke’s shoulder. “You can’t leave me. You’re like my s-sister.”

Keke frowned, patting down Cannoli’s hair. Cannoli’s ears drooped over the sides of her head, and we watched in silence as the two shared a warm hug.

As much as I hated to be the bad guy, there was a good chance there were more problems to be found along the way. And the last thing I wanted was another skelebro popping out of the wall. “We should keep moving.”

“I agree,” said Ara, shaking her head. “The side effects are beginning to fade.”

“Great,” I said with a nod. “Let’s keep going then. The sooner we get out, the better.”