1-164 The Slave Hunters

Chaos and screams filled the tunnels, as Roric was vaguely aware he was moving. Gisley had him by an arm, dragging him away as he left a trail of blood. He saw Evalynn slam into a wall as something tall and black buried a short sword in her stomach. Idris was lying on the floor in a pool of blood while Chandice lit up the tunnel with fire bolts. Her devil was slashing wildly against the dark form, but it was clear he was no match as four arms danced in return, cutting the minion to ribbons. His hyena attacked and leaped for the foe, only to tumble into the hall as the insect man vanished. He reappeared a second later behind Chandice, burying all four weapons in her back.

“Chandice!” Roric called as he reached a weak arm up. The insect man looked his way with cold, emotionless eyes, then fell to the side as a reptilian form leaped on him. Zillix came out of hiding, scoring the first real strike of the battle. He drove the man back for a moment before a flurry of dizzying blows threw his reptilian blood into the air. Roric was amazed at how fast the insect man was and how his attacks seemed to ignore armor.

Zillix was struck over a dozen times and collapsed in seconds as Evalynn jumped over his body to reengage. She went into her powers, lashing out with rapid strikes and her extreme reach to try and keep the man moving. The insect man vanished again, appearing behind her and striking back. Evalynn couldn't turn fast enough to avoid being struck, and she stumbled forward as her back was punctured repeatedly.

“Gisley, heal us!” Roric cried as he felt their pain over his connection to their collar.

“Jaina said to grab you and run,” Gisley replied with panic in her voice.

“Forget that,” Roric countered. “Use your area of effect heal.”

Gisley nodded and raised her hands, going into a song. The air filled with golden light, illuminating the tunnel as everyone inside the light began to heal. She closed her eyes for a second as a dozen red streaks flew directly at her. She cried out in pain as the magical daggers peppered her body, throwing her down and breaking the spell.

Roric felt hopeless at the situation until something warm washed over him and began to harden. Suddenly, he felt his health returning as Jaina flowed over his body, completely covering him.

“How?” Roric gasped as he felt his strength rapidly returning.

“Hannah's blessing,” Jaina said in his ear. “I am effectively hugging you. Now get up; I have a plan.”

Roric stumbled up as the monster turned his attention to Evalynn, who was desperately trying to fend him off. She was taking wounds at an alarming rate, and her cries of pain were full of tears.

“Hey!” Roric shouted as he surged with strength, calling on his buffs to empower him. The creature kicked Evalynn aside as it turned his way, spreading his long, sinewy arms wide. Roric tensed with his spear in hand as Jaina began to flow and shift around him. She hardened, her skin becoming thick armored plates over his body. Two long rope-like pods sprouted from his side and became arms holding jagged saw-toothed swords.

“Jaina?” Roric gasped as she became a part of his body, acting as both enhanced armor and extra offense.

“Just go get him,” Jaina said. “So long as we keep hugging, we will keep healing!”

Roric nodded and charged, his body a blur as he raced in. The insect vanished and appeared behind him, unleashing a second hail of red daggers. Jaina grunted as they struck her protective layers, doing serious harm but failing to penetrate to Roric. She shrugged off the blow as not only was Hannah's buff at work, but she had natural regeneration. Roric spun and began a dance of slashes and thrusts, boosted by Jaina's extra arms. The insect man stepped back as the two forces collided in a flurry of cuts.

“How?” the creature said in a clicking voice, but Roric didn't answer. Second, by second, his wounds were mending, and he could feel so were the others. Gisley and Evalynn were in his collar and sharing in his power. They were healing from him, quickly recovering as Jaina acted as a living shield absorbing the attacks. The insect vanished again, but Jaina was wise in his tactics. She caused sharp blades to lash from Roric's back, using her mass as a weapon. She was rewarded with a clicking howl as she connected with the insect, scoring the first real hit. Now he knew his tactic of blinking around wouldn't keep working, and Roric could meet him on more even ground.

Roric did his best to press the attack, but the enemy was clearly higher level. His four arms slashed and cut with superior skill, scoring hits that Jaina did her best to absorb. Her hopes began to fade until suddenly, three zombies charged in; the leathery creatures flashed with buffs as Idris unloaded everything she had on them to even the odds.

Jaina didn’t understand how Idris had gotten up until she saw the empty potion of regeneration bottle at her feet. Zillix was also getting up, one of Idris’s heals coursing through his body and quickly restoring him.

The bug man let out a cackling howl and vanished in a flash, appearing behind Idris to bury all four of his weapons in her back. She smiled and turned around as the monster looked startled. Then a black cloud of ravens tore through him as the real Idris came out of invisibility some twenty paces behind.

“Zillix is using illusions,” Jaina gasped as the insect man blinked away, only for Idris to vanish a second later. Zillix also vanished, making it difficult for the foe to lock down where either of them were. Roric unleashed a fiery spear, striking the monster and causing him to curse, only for a second spear from Evalynn to score another wound. As a slave, her health was linked to Roric's, and he was rapidly healing from his continual hug with Jaina. Gisley was also moving, returning to her feet and rushing to Chandice.

“You will pay for this!” the monster roared while cutting down a zombie.

“You're the one who is going to pay,” Roric growled. “I will not tolerate somebody harming the harem.”

“Ha, you slave masters make me sick,” the creature hissed as he blinked out of reach of the two remaining zombies and appeared down the hall. Suddenly the air was filled with red projectiles, the narrow hall leaving them no way to avoid the attack. Roric charged into it, using his body as a shield as he called out in a loud voice.

“Master’s protection!”

Suddenly, Evalynn, Gisley, and Jaina were surrounded by magical bubbles. As Roric was wearing Jaina as armor, he, too, was inside her bubble of protection. He acted as a shield, protecting those down the hall from the barrage as it clattered off the barrier harmlessly.

“You’re brilliant,” Jaina decreed as the hail of red darts abated to reveal their foe was nowhere to be seen.

“He got away,” Evalynn said as she came to his side.

“Get everybody up,” Roric commanded as he turned to see Idris helping Gisley heal Chandice, who was slowly standing up.

“What was that thing?” Zillix asked as he came out of invisibility in his tiny dragon form.

“Some kind of insectoid assassin,” Roric replied as he took stock of the situation.

“He fled down the tunnel we need to use to get back,” Jaina said as she shifted her form and began to pour off of Roric. She assumed a humanoid shape and became solid a moment later. “Do we go that way or look for another way out?”

Roric paused to seriously consider their next action. If they went straight for the exit, they might run into the insect man again. However, the man might turn up if they hunted for another exit. For all they knew, he would follow them and try to pick them off. They needed to warn the harem as quickly as possible, but then that was going to happen anyway. The dead harem girls would respawn in a few hours, and he knew they would run straight to Rajeen. She would react with overwhelming force once she was alerted to the danger. So the question right now was, how would they proceed?

“We risk going back,” Roric said as he turned to Jaina. “But we are changing the plan. I want you to armor up Evalynn like you did for me. She's higher level, and I can drain your health to heal, so your hug will benefit all of us.”

“Right,” Jaina said as she moved to Evalynn.

“Chandice,” Roric said as he came to ensure she was recovered.

“I'm fine,” Chandice replied as she rolled her arm. “But he hits very hard, and those weapons are poisoned. I was paralyzed as if burned through my muscles.”

“I need you to summon your dogs,” Roric said. “I will summon my hyenas again, and Idris will recover her zombies. I want to flood the halls ahead so he doesn't have an easy time ambushing us.”

“He can blink like Hannah does,” Jaina argued. “All he needs is to be able to see us.”

“Well, he is susceptible to Illusions,” Evalynn said. “He fell for Zillix's tricks.”

“If he needs shadows, I can fill the halls ahead of us with moonlight,” Gisley offered.

“I wonder if his blink requires shadows?” Roric asked as Chandice summoned three large red demon dogs. They were red with bony bodies and spikes down their back, ending in a tail with a stinger-like hook. Their head was a giant thee sided jaw with black pincers to hold prey. She set them to run ahead as Roric sent his hyenas after them. Jaina melded with Evalynn, becoming a second layer of armor and pair of arms with dangerous-looking swords in hand.

“That's very neat,” Idris admired as Zillix landed on her pack and looked over her shoulder. Instantly, she shifted and appeared two steps to the left as Zillix hid their true position in an illusion.

“That’s a handy skill,” Jaina said as she spoke without a head.

“This is disturbing,” Evalynn said. “I feel like I am wearing you.”

“You are,” Jaina replied as they began walking.

“Idris, put two of your zombies to our rear to protect us from behind,” Roric said as he sniffed the air. “Keep the other one with Chandice and Gisley.”

“Got it,” Idris replied and quickly divided them up. Gisley lit the hall with a bright lunar glow, driving away any hint of darkness or shadow to hide in. Roric pressed them hard, practically jogging down the tunnel at a reckless pace. He kept the pack of hounds in sight as they stalked ahead, searching for the mysterious assailant. He felt the tension as he led the girls into danger, wondering what could be driving this player to behave so violently.

“Has anyone noticed this player before?” Roric asked as he paused at a corner and peeked into the next hall.

“I have never seen him before,” Jaina said and was echoed by the others. Nobody had seen him before and commented that an insect player was a novelty and would have stood out. That meant this player was operating in the shadows following some secret agenda. He wondered if he was an agent of some larger group, perhaps one of Hannah's enemies. That thought would have to wait as he focused on the scents in the tunnel and any sound that was out of place. He had a good sense of the man's scent now and wouldn't be surprised by it again. However, he was oddly disturbed that he couldn't detect the scent in this tunnel section.

“We all saw him come this way?” Roric asked as he crept down the passage.

“Why would you ask that?” Chandice asked as she kept close by.

“Because I can’t detect his scent,” Roric said. “It’s like he didn’t physically pass this way.”

“He must have come this way,” Jaina insisted as she created eyes around Evalynn to look in all directions. “This was the only direction he could have gone in.”

“Unless there is a secret door we didn’t find,” Gisley offered.

Roric felt his tension mount as this was likely the situation. Frank had said the tunnels were full of secret paths, doors, and traps. This man must have been stalking the tunnels for days, learning the layout and planning his moves. Now, they were trapped down here with him, once again cut off from the surface in a dungeon.

“We need to stop coming into dungeons,” Roric growled as he took a cautious step forward. “It keeps landing us in real danger.”

“Nobody could have guessed his madman was down here,” Evalynn replied as she stalked beside him. “And we needed to know. He’s obviously hunting harem girls.”

“But why?” Gisley asked. “What did we ever do to him?”

“I don't like sluts,” a voice replied as something dark dropped on them from above. Gisley called out in pain as she was struck, and so too was Chandice. A blow streaked through the illusion of Idris, but the magic frustrated him once again. Roric and Evalynn turned around to meet the dangerous man, but he vanished again and didn't reappear. Zombies who were too slow to react turned about as if confused, unsure where the threat had gone.

“Ow, it burns!” Gisley cried as she reached for the gash in her side.

“It hurts,” Chandice groaned as she slumped to the wall, clutching her arm. “This poison is designed to cause pain.”

Idris revealed herself to lean down, quickly going to Gisley to remove the pain. She began her spell when four arms appeared around her neck and cut. The look in her eyes was one of startlement before they glazed over, and she fell dead into the hall. The zombies collapsed with their master, falling uselessly to the floor.

“Idris!” Gisley cried as the woman’s body fell on her. The bug-like man vanished in a flash, arriving behind Roric to deliver another series of deep stabs. He growled and moved on instinct, surging with strength as he ignored the pain and went to return the attack.

“He's too fast,” Evalynn cried as she lunged at him, Jaina's arms cutting as the man hopped back and clung to the walls like a spider.

“Your kind makes me sick,” the man spat. “You're all a bunch of immoral…” He began but was cut short as a dragon the size of a horse appeared in the tunnel and filled the passage with fire. The insect man howled, and there was a flash as he darted back, but Zillix was after him, promising to eat the man slowly.

“Zillix!” Roric called after him. “Don’t let him lead you away!”

“We can't stop him,” Chandice groaned as she tried to stand up. “We need to use his distraction and find a way out.”

“Can you walk?” Evalynn asked as she saw black lines spreading up Chandice’s arm. “That poison is aggressively spreading.”

“He’s used something that is burning my mana,” Chandice groaned as she staggered. “It’s causing my mana to do damage to me.”

“Idris is dead!” Gisley cried as she struggled to get out from under the woman. “He slit her throat four times!”

Roric ran to her aid, helping her up and trying to keep her calm. She was still in terrible pain of her own and wouldn't be calm enough to heal herself.

“She should be healing from the group regeneration,” Evalynn said.

“That takes a long time,” Jaina replied as she liquified and flowed off Evalynn before enveloping Gisley. The fairy woman struggled, but Jaina whispered words of love and urged her to relax. The soothing liquid hug began to do the trick, and the wicked wound mended fast.

“He did that on purpose,” Roric said as he gathered Idris's wand and pack. “He knew she was the healer and the master of the zombies, making her a prime target. But he also knew she would be protected with an illusion. So he hit us with something to force her out of her hiding place so he could kill her.”

“And deprive us of our best healer,” Evalynn agreed. “He pretended to run only to lure her out so he could eliminate her.”

“I'm sorry,” Gisley sobbed and reached a hand toward Chandice, who was leaning on a tunnel wall. She glowed with golden light as the black lines retreated, slowly burning away the poison.

“Well, her zombies will be gone,” Evalynn said.

“Fat lot of good that did us,” Jaina said as she liquified again and went to flow over Evalynn.

“No, stay on Gisley,” Roric insisted. “She is currently our best healer and needs to be protected at all costs. No doubt he is going to target her next.”

“Can we win this fight?” Chandice asked as she inspected Roric’s back while Gisley began to heal him.

“He’s decently high level,” Roric sighed as the pain began to die. “And he’s motivated.”

“How is he staying hidden?” Jaina asked as she flowed over Gisley. “Surely Frank knows this madman is down here?”

“Is Frank currently watching what every player does in his dungeon?” Roric asked. “He gets dozens of people in here and can't possibly watch them all. Besides, he has other responsibilities. I doubt he's even aware we are in here.”

“We need to warn the harem,” Evalynn insisted. “One of us must get out.”

“Maybe we should just make a run for it,” Jaina said as Roric’s wounds finally mended. “He can’t possibly get us all fast enough.”

“One of those harem girls is going to respawn soon enough,” Chandice cut in. “When they do, they will bring Rajeen, Frank, and Hannah down on this place. I wouldn't be surprised if they flooded the halls with goblins.”

“But how long is that still?” Jaina asked. “An hour? Two? Four?”

“It has to be three or less,” Chandice insisted. “Some of those girls were over an hour dead. The clock is ticking; all we have to do is stay alive.”

“What about Idris and Zillix?” Evalynn asked.

“We can’t do anything for Idris,” Roric said as he took up his spear. “But maybe we can find Zillix.”

They nodded and carefully moved on, leaving the body of their fallen comrade in the cold tunnel. Nerves were on edge as Roric listened for any hint of their opponent.

They worked their way back over the course of twenty minutes, reaching the halls that would take them to the stairs. The whole way, they found signs that Zillix had passed, leaving behind chromatic blood that proved he was injured.

“He must have gone insane to see Idris die,” Jaina said.

“She fell on me,” Gisley shuddered. “She looked so sad.”

“Shh, Sweetheart,” Jaina urged. “She will be back, and she will be fine. We are going to make this bug man sorry he chose to battle the harem.”

“Wait,” Roric said as he held up a hand. His nose picked up a scent but it wasn't what he was expecting. It smelled of smoke, sweet rose, and the unmistakable scent of a woman. It wasn't a scent he was familiar with, but it had been in this tunnel recently. He moved forward cautiously to see his hyenas sniffing at something. Even from here, he could see the lifeless body of Zillix, cut and gouged but also burned. The whole tunnel in this area was blackened and hot to the touch.

“Did Zillix cause this fire?” Evalynn asked as she dared to touch the wall.

“If he caused it, why did it burn him?” Chandice asked.

“I smell a woman,” Roric said. “She was here in this tunnel minutes ago.”

“So the insect is a woman?” Jaina asked.

“No, it isn't him. This is somebody else. Somebody new,” Roric replied as the hyena began to snarl and look down the tunnel. A single form stepped out from around a corner, her curvy body a silhouette as she stood with a staff in hand.

“So you can smell us,” her voice said as the staff in her hand burst into flames. “No wonder you keep finding the way.”

“You are working with that madman?” Jaina shouted, angry that a woman was involved in this.

“He works for me,” the woman laughed. “But it wasn’t hard to convince him. You would be surprised how many people hate the slave classes. You should all be ashamed of what you are.”

“Go play your own character,” Evalynn shouted. “Let us play ours.”

“Oh, but I am playing my character,” the woman said as she lit up with light to reveal her red robes. “I am a slave slayer. It is my duty to purge the world of your filth.”

“I thought they didn’t allow insane people to enter New Eden?” Chandice replied.

“How dare you!” the woman shouted as she pointed her staff. Suddenly, a wall of fire erupted before her and raced down the tunnel at them. Roric went to call a retreat, but Chandice had her own staff up.

“Counterspell!” Chandice shouted as her staff glowed blue. The fire suddenly died away as the two women faced off.

“You are out of your league,” the woman spat. “I am a pyromancer of great power.”

“I am a warlock,” Chandice replied as her three demon dogs gathered at her side. “And most of my powers are fire.” To accentuate her point, she loosed a ball of fire down the hall as her dogs charged. The woman laughed and raised a hand, summoning two women made purely of flame. They danced at the dogs, swinging curved swords while the fireball raced by. The woman held out a hand and caught the fireball before throwing it back.

“That’s not good,” Chandice said as the ball came racing back. She raised her staff, creating a magical barrier that shattered as the fireball crashed against it. The group was peppered with smoldering embers and intense heat, causing them to retreat a dozen steps. Chandice barely got another shield up as a line of pure fire raced down the tunnel and struck the barrier, pausing for only a second before crashing through. Chandice was singed as it burned her shoulder, but her robes were fire-resistant, and she tumbled out of the way mostly unharmed.

“Let's fall back,” Roric said before ordering his hyenas to try and stall the woman. He grabbed Chandice and turned to run back, getting only a dozen steps before a dark form dropped on them from above. It struck out in a well-timed attack, cutting Evalynn and Roric before leaping at Chandice.

“Get away from us!” Gisley shouted as a ray of pure white light slammed into him and hurled him back. She held her hands together, focusing the moonlight on the monster who twirled and produced a hail of dozens of red daggers.

Evalynn shielded Roric as he called for master's protection, encasing them in bubbles. Most were deflected away, but something small clattered to the floor near their feet. He looked down to see a potion bottle with a silvery blue liquid spilling out.

“Move!” Roric cried, but they were too slow. A blue mana explosion went off as the tunnel filled with dazzling light and smoke. The girls in the bubbles were fine but couldn't see a thing. Roric stumbled to locate Chandice as something strong grabbed him from the back of his neck. A searing pain tore through his body as three blades came through his chest. The insect man obviously thought this would be enough to finish him, but Roric was a conqueror, and he drew on the health of his slave girls.

With wild eyes, he turned around, fighting against the insect man's strength.

“Why won’t you die?” the man growled in a clicking voice.

Roric's eyes flashed with red light as he let loose a bestial howl. He tore at the man's carapace-like hide with his claws as he started to rampage.

[Lvl 9 conqueror skill: Rampage] [Boosted 3] You gain super strength and damage absorption for 30 seconds per collared slave. While under this effect, you have 50 more strength, 50% damage absorption, and deal 5% more damage with all attacks and cannot be stunned, held, or slowed. Your stamina bar slowly depletes while this effect is active. If it ever reaches 10%, the effect ends even if you have time left.

The insect man vanished in a flash, but Roric didn't need to see him to know where he went. His body surged with super strength as he dived between the bubbles, going after the man who thought he was hidden. He dropped all pretenses of defense, slashing with his spear in a wild flurry of attacks.

Lvl 16 Conqueror skill: Reckless Assault] Attack wildly, delivering heavy blows that do increased damage. Attack speed and strength are boosted by 15% for 30 seconds, but defense is lowered by 20%.

He scored a hit that cracked the insect-like hide and another that sent the man reeling back. The insect man jumped about, cutting and slashing as the blue mist faded. Roric was taking hit after hit, but so was his opponent, then the man let out a clicking laugh and vanished only to appear behind him.

All four weapons went through Roric’s back, the pain and poison causing him to become numb. But Roric was the one laughing now as he swung back and nearly took the man’s head off.

[lvl 23 Conqueror skill: barricade] You set your feet, and for the next twenty seconds, you can't be moved from that spot except by magic. You also can't be killed until the spell ends. Any wound that would have killed you reduces you to 1 health instead. Lasts 10 seconds longer per happy slave.

“You should have died,” the insect man spat as he blinked twenty feet down the hall to star gawking at the Roric.

“I am a conqueror,” Roric growled. “And my power comes from my girls. So long as one of them lives, you cannot kill me.”

“I can fix that,” a woman’s voice said as she came around the corner, staff burning with fire.

Roric raised a hand, snapping a finger, and instantly, the girls were gone. Only he and Chandice remained, standing together between the two enemies.

[lvl 30 Conqueror skill: Neither seen nor heard- Slaves are temporarily rendered invisible and silenced. It lasts until the slaves move or 1 hour has passed.

“What?” the insect man spat. “He sent them away! They could be reporting what we are doing to the others!”

“Relax,” the woman said as she took a moment to enjoy the spectacle. “By the time they get down here, these two will be long dead.”

“I am going to make you accept my spoils of war collar,” Roric snarled while trying to buy time. The girls weren't gone, only hidden, proving this group was weak to illusions. He was stalling for time while he stole health from his girls, rapidly healing himself from the single health point he had left. “You will learn what it's like to call me master.”

“You filthy thing!” the woman shouted and pointed her staff. “Burn to ash!”

A searing ray of fire flashed down the hall, heading directly for Roric. He timed his moment as close as possible before calling on the power he hoped would save him.

[lvl 21 Conqueror skill: Raging advance] Go mad with rage and charge your opponent, delivering charge damage followed by weapon attacks with a 50% strength bonus. The effect lasts for 30 seconds.

He rushed forward, taking the full brunt of the fire and trusting in his barricade skill to keep him alive. He felt his body burning as he stacked strength bonuses before bringing his weapon down on the woman. There was a crackle of electricity as he struck a magical barrier and was thrown back, leaving the woman unharmed.

Roric rolled to the floor as the woman laughed at his pathetic attempt. Chandice was at his side in a moment, helping him up as smoke wafted from his body.

“Poor thing,” the woman said as she enjoyed her victory. “Did you really think you had a chance against my fire?”

“Run,” Roric coughed as he tried to heal again.

“I am not leaving you,” Chandice said as she wrapped an arm around him and poured her potion of regeneration down his throat.

“A potion isn’t going to save you,” the woman laughed.

“No, but this might,” Chandice said as she lifted a black marble and threw it to the ground. It shattered and filled the hall with a wailing chorus of black spirits. It was only a fancy distraction, but it served its purpose. Roric was dragged to his feet and forced to run as Chandice filled the tunnel ahead with her demon insects. They immediately went after the rogue, who slashed and cut at the monsters. Chandice and Roric ran around a side tunnel as she shouted to the girls to follow.

One by one, the others moved, breaking their magical hiding. They were hidden by the cloud of wailing ghosts and ran after the others, hoping to escape. Jaina was enraged by what was happening but felt helpless to do much about it. Twice, Roric had nearly been killed, and only by burning his best powers was he still standing. The others had been forced to stand still and watch as he was stabbed and burned, suffering for their sake.

“You can’t do that to us,” Jaina insisted. “That was horrible to watch.”

“He did good,” Evalynn said. “He fought them to a standstill.”

“By burning everything he had,” Jaina said. “How much stamina does he have left?”

“I have second wind,” Roric reminded as they ran wildly down the tunnel. They passed the three doors and deeper into the dungeon, eventually arriving at a wide pillared hall. They expected to be attacked by undead, but they had already been slain, indicating this group knew this area well.

“We can’t keep running,” Chandice panted. “We are just doing what they want. Giving them a good hunt.”

“We can spread out a bit in this room,” Evalynn said as she noted the wide, long space. “They keep bottling us up in a tunnel. In here, we can come at them as a group.”

“They must be level eighty or higher,” Chandice said. “That woman’s fire spells are breaking my wards easily. I am sure we can do a better job if we can attack as a group, but I doubt we can win this. That assassin is covered in poisons, and the woman can summon elementals.”

“Gisley is nearly that high,” Jaina reminded. “Maybe we need to use her offensively.”

“I don't want to fight if we can get away,” Roric insisted, then noticed a side passage. He made a decision and ordered them into the tunnel to hide.

“Jaina, flow over the entrance and become a wall,” Roric commanded as he crouched away from the room. “Hide us.”

Jaina became fluid, flowing off Gisley and rushing to the tunnel entrance. She stretched up the wall, covered the opening with her fluid body, and mimicked the stone of the chamber walls so that she appeared to be part of the room.

A minute later, there was a flash of darkness as the insect man appeared and looked around. He seemed annoyed that they weren't here, and for a moment, he stared directly at Jaina. She felt her blood run cold as he turned with arms slowly flexing as if about to attack. Jaina stared into those cold insect eyes and wondered if they were going to escape this death trap, or would this predator claim her head.