“Would you look at that?” Billy muttered under his breath.

“Why is something like this in the middle of the jungle?” Reina whispered.

Thirty minutes ago we’d branched off the path and trekked through the jungle underbrush. Since then we’d added six more energy crystals to the list and finally made it to the landmark that signaled the entrance to our designated search location. A dark brown plateau towered over the trees. In front of us was a gap between two stone slabs at least twenty feet wide. There was plenty of room to walk through the tunnel … if it wasn’t for the thick white webs that clung to the rock walls and covered the few short trees within the tunnel. The tunnel wasn’t even that long, maybe fifty or sixty feet long, I could see the valley on the other side. But the thought of walking through that webbing sent chills down my spine. Not even the beautiful rainbow crystals that dotted the glossy white fibers could ease my agitation.

“I’m gonna burn it,” Kip announced to no one in general. “Yep, it’s gotta burn. I don’t, I don’t do spiders, not with their creepy legs. And their gross eyes. And their disgusting everything else.” Fire spread from her fingers and pooled in the palm of her hand.

“Hold up.” Mason motioned for her to stop and took a couple steps forward. With his sword at the ready, he peered into the tunnel. “... I don’t see or sense anything. Emma?”

She notched an arrow to her bow and stepped beside him. She must have the highest Perception Stat, perfect for a natural archer. She looked around, checking every visible and non-visible nook and cranny. “I can’t sense anything either.”

“Anyone else vote that we just climb over and take the top route?” Billy wondered. “I mean, that’s a trap no matter how I look at it.” He motioned to the webbing, his expression just as reluctant as Kip’s. “Has anyone else watched that old movie with the possessed ring and the big, evil fire eye? I hate the spider part.”

“There’s a barrier along the top of the plateau. No one and nothing can cross that barrier. Not even monsters.” Mason backed away from the tunnel, using his body as a shield for Emma until they returned to formation. He scowled, his eyes full of bitter confusion. “There wasn’t any mention about this tunnel in the information I received.”

I finally spoke up. “So, either it’s new, or they didn’t give you all the information? Does that happen a lot?”

Emma shook her head while everyone's features tightened. “No. Our Guild spent a lot of money to out bid the other Guilds for this task. And President Price expects to make it all back, and a lot more. With so much money on the line, why would they short-change us?”

“So this is new since they made the maps?” I shifted so I could get a good look at it around Mason’s shoulder.

“Since last night,” Mason added.

“Does anyone feel anything?” Axe Guy asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

Mason took a deep breath. “We’ve walked into traps before. Keep on your guard. Just because we can’t see or feel them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Let’s go.” He led us forward.

Slowly we entered the tunnel. There was enough space that we could easily walk in formation without touching the webbing. Everyone was on edge, waiting to attack at the slightest movement. Billy kept shifting the grip on his sword and fire pooled around Kip’s hands. Emma kept her arrow half-drawn and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

I gripped my kindjal. I was dying to Mirror it, but I only had 5 MP. I had to be very careful on what I used it on. I was just like them. I couldn’t sense or see any threat. Besides the fact that we were walking through the middle of a huge spider web, something more just felt wrong. I couldn’t place what. It just … was.

“Halfway there,” Mason whispered. “Remain vigilant.”

Billy’s knees buckled and he dropped. He hit the ground with a clank, his armor clattering against itself. He laid face down and motionless.

“Billy!” Reina gasped.

“What the —?” The words were barely out of Morgan’s mouth before she, too, collapsed.

A window popped up, nearly scaring me out of my skin.

[Anomaly detected. Auto-immunity activated.]

What anomaly? I looked around as hard as I could, but I couldn’t see anything that would cause them to collapse. What was going on?

“Morgan!” Emma wailed before she fell to her side.

Mason caught her as he also went down.

Within seconds Emma’s entire team lay motionless on the ground.

My breathing increased as my heartbeat quickened. What the hell is going on?

Still vigilant, I rushed to Emma and pulled her off Mason. I pressed my fingers to her neck and counted her pulse. It was strong and steady. I sighed and checked her over for injuries. Luckily I didn’t find any. Just then I noticed the air that Emma exhaled. It was misted, as if she were in the dead chill of winter, not the middle of a hot, humid jungle. I put my hand over her mouth and tried to manipulate the mist. It didn’t respond to me. I didn’t know what it was, but there was one thing I knew for sure — it wasn’t Mist that she was breathing out. So what was it? The anomaly?

I checked the others. They were just like Emma. Their pulses were fine and they appeared uninjured, but they were unconscious and exhaling faint smoke with every breath.

Scowling, I stood and looked around. I still couldn’t detect a monster or living plant. What caused this? How do I fix this? My System had reduced my Stats leaving my abilities impaired and my body weak. I couldn’t possibly protect anyone from anything in this jungle. But I couldn’t just leave them here while I went to look for help. Even if I could make it out alive, I wouldn’t leave Emma. And I doubted she’d forgive me if I just grabbed her and left her team behind.

I glanced at Mason. He should have an emergency signal. But if I used it, we’d be forced to leave Feng Jungle. Not only did I not want that, what if the team woke up and were just fine before the search party got here?

I dropped next to Billy and banged on his helmet with my kindjal. “Hey, wake up.”

He didn’t move.

I scowled down at my guinea pig and pulled out a bottle of water. I splashed some on his face. “Wake up!”

Nothing.

In frustration, I nudged his arm harder than I meant to. His arm flopped at a funny angle. Just as I was about to give up and return to Emma, something bright flashed on his gauntlet. I frowned and looked back. I don’t think Billy wasn’t wearing any rings and he didn’t have any jewels on his armor. So where did that flash come from?

I crouched down and leaned in close to his gloved hand. Something colorful wiggled between the steel plates of his gauntlet. Quickly I pulled his claymore out of his slack grip and jerked the gauntlet off his hand. From inside, an inch-long colorful thing fell to the ground. It flopped on the dirt at my feet and curled into a ball.

What the hell? I leaned down. Was it a caterpillar? It’s fat, fluffy body was nearly transparent except for two thin rainbow strips that went from head to tail. The stripes shimmered in the low light as it wriggled about. I leaned in closer. There was something tiny and solid inside it, about where the head or brain should be. Was it an energy crystal? They came that small?

This miniscule creature had to be new to Gate Vale since its title bar read: [??? Lv8]

There were really monsters that weak in this jungle? I lifted my kindjal to crush it.

The caterpillar sprang into the air and landed on Billy’s bare hand. In a flash, it burrowed it’s head into Billy’s skin. A large drop of blood rolled down Billy’s hand as the caterpillar pushed it’s head against his skin. And slipped right under, burrowing through his flesh.

Billy’s brows tightened in pain, but he didn’t wake up.

“No!” I gasped and slashed out at the caterpillar with my kindjal. I left a long scrape on the back of Billy’s hand, but I succeeded in flicking the tiny monster off him.As soon as it landed on the ground, I slashed down and cut it in half lengthwise, just to make sure I got the crystal.

[EXP +20]

I glanced around at the white webbing. I had thought, just like everyone else, that this was a spider’s nest. Had we been wrong? I looked around the ground, trying to spot more rainbow flashes.

My eyes widened when I saw one on Emma’s left arm. A second later, Emma winced.

I jumped over Billy and grabbed Emma’s arm. I twisted it around, but couldn’t see the shiny caterpillar. Had it already burrowed into her? I quickly pulled at the buckles on her arm bracer and jerked the armor off. An inch above her wrist was a bloody hole and on the other side was an inch long bump under her skin. I could see two rainbow lines glimmer beneath her taut flesh as the caterpillar slowly wiggled and slid its way farther up her arm.

I hissed as nausea and fear twisted in my stomach. I’d never seen or heard of anything like this before. My left hand clamped down on her arm, cutting off the monster’s progression. I carefully pressed my kindjal to Emma’s flesh and cut along the raised, wriggling lump. The bloody thing wiggled and twisted, as if the sudden air on it was confusing. Then it turned and tried to burrow in farther, pushing at my grip. Trying to not cause any more damage to Emma, or damage the caterpillar so it didn’t leave a piece in her, I slid my blade under the monster and twisted my wrist.

The monster popped out of Emma’s arm and landed on the ground. With another flick of my wrist I received another 20 EXP and the monster vanished, leaving a bloody smear on the ground. Just like the other one, there was no drop orb. But that wasn’t important right now.

Emma sighed and relaxed yet she continued to lay there, unconscious.

The slightest movement on Mason’s face drew my attention to him. Then I noticed that everyone in Emma’s team, except for her and Billy, had pained expressions on their faces.

“Oh no,” I whispered and reached for Mason. Where was it? Did the monster enter his arm too? I examined his forearm. Nothing. Maybe elsewhere? There wasn’t time to strip him down in the search — everyone needed help! What if it had gone inside Mason through his torso or thigh? I doubted I’d be able to get it out. And what would happen if it stayed inside him? Inside everyone?

I narrowed my gaze, looking for any trace of blood. A tiny glow appeared on Mason’s right calf. It was just like the faint glow from the magic scales on the matching bracelets I made for my sister or the glow that I saw when I used Critical Hit on a monster to stab their energy crystal. And the glow slowly moved up Mason’s leg. I took a second to look at Mason’s armor to figure out how it worked, then unbuckled his cuisse so I could remove his greave. With a quick movement, I cut open his maroon pant from his knee to his ankle. I could tell that it was quality material, but I was sure he’d forgive me someday. Right where the faint magic glow was, I could see two rainbow lines as a bulge slithered its way up his leg. Using the same method I did with Emma, I cut it out and killed it.

When his tight expression relaxed, I went to Morgan and looked for a faintly glowing spot on her body. Her mage robes were easier to handle. I just had to slide the sleeves up to bare her upper arm before I cut the caterpillar out. Kip’s was just as easy, except there were two caterpillars on her — one on each leg.

As soon as I killed the second monster on Kip, a System window popped up.

[Daily Task: Destroy Five Energy Crystals; Completed. EXP +45. The Probationary Period has ended. All stats have been returned.]

I could feel my body getting lighter as my stats returned, but didn’t have time to revel in the buoyant feeling. Instead, I immediately turned to the next body beside me.

The Axe Guy also had two on him, but his heavy armor was harder to deal with. By the time I got the monsters out of his thigh and near his armpit, I was breathing hard. My fingers ached from all the buckles and straps that I unfastened as fast as I could.

Still, I jumped to my feet and ran to Reina’s side. I dropped down and looked her over for a faint glow. There it was, right on her shoulder. I quickly unbuckled her chest plate and pulled it to the side. Right as I reached for the wriggling, little monster, it’s faint light flickered. Suddenly, the small rainbow light expanded and spread until it covered her entire body.

*****